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"IjLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIB

3 1833 00827 5114

GENEALOSY COLUEcTiON

HISTORY

OF THE

MAUMEE RIVER BASIN

From the Earliest Account to Its Organization
into c(junties

CHARLES ELIHU SLOCUM, M.D., Ph.D., LL.D.

Member of The American Historical A^shciatius. The New-England Historic GtiNEALociCAL
Society, The ' Old Northwest ' Gesealiigical Society, The Ohio State Akch-

.^OLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY. ThE MaUMEE VaLLEV PiONEER

AND Historical Association. Etc.

Illustrated.

BOWEN & SLOCUM

Indianapolis

ToLEpo

To His Friends

Of Many Years Continuance

This Bool< is Dedicated

By ttie Author

By chares ELIHU SLOCUM.

CONTENTS

For reference to Illustrations see the page figures followed with asterisk (*) in the In-
dex at the close of this volume. For Preface see page vii.

1113275

CHAPTER I. -»— ^ -i^^^rv . \j p^^^

Introductory with Table of Counties and Statistics 1

The Maumee River Basin distinguished from the Maumee River Valley —
Situation, Latitude and Longitude, Extent in square miles — The former Forest
— Topography — Climate — Products — Healthfulness — Counties, Principal

Towns, Population.

CHAPTER II.

Geology of the Maumee River Basin 6

Source of the Rocks — The Geologic Column in comparison with that of
other parts of Ohio, and elsewhere — Chart — Lacking in several strata — Tren-
ton Limestone — Natural Gas and Petroleum and theories of their Origin —
Wells and their Products — Process of Drilling — Rock Water supply — Eleva-
tions and Depressions of Rock Strata — Early Surface Conditions — Prehistoric
Drainage Channels — Age of Ice and Theories of Cause — Glacier Markings and
Extent of — Foreign Rocks brought by Glaciers — Glacier Phenomena and Ef-
fects— Glacial Lakes, and their Drainage Channels — Time and Duration of
the Ice Age — Benefits of the Glaciation.

CHAPTER III.
The Earliest Evidences Found of Prehistoric Man 47

Before, during and subsequent to the Age of Ice — Co-existent with the
Mastodon and other long-extinct Animals. Prehistoric Stone Implements — Pre-
historic Mounds and Circles of Earth — The Aborigines as first described — the
Fiercest Savages known to History.

CHAPTER IV.
The First Explorers and Cartographers, The French and British ... 75

Champlain — French Coureurs de Bois — Earliest French Maps — LaSalle
--Later French Maps — The British-French wars. Wars with the Aborigines,
and the Fur Trade as an ever-present Incitement — Conspiracy of Chief Nicholas
against the French — British and French purchase each other's Scalps — The
British Succession — Conspiracy of Pontiac against the British, and his Capture
of the western Forts — Armies of Wilkins, Bradstreet and Bouquet against the
Aborigines — Captives returned to Bouquet — Croghan's successful Peace Mis-
sion— Fort Miami and Detroit described. 1(J14-17<J6.

CHAPTER V.
Hostilities of Aborigines and British Against the Colonists 124

The Colonies Impoverished — Rebel against British Impositions — The Rev-
olutionary War — British form Savage War-parties against Pioneer American
Settlements, Furnish them Leaders and Supplies, and pay for American Scalps
brought by them — American Deserters and British Officers often with the Sav-
ages in their Maraudings — British remove the Less Savage Officers — American
successes in the Southwest, and Organizations for Civil Government — Futile

iv CONTENTS.

plans of Americans against Detroit the headquarters for this Basin — Americans
Massacre reputed Peaceful Aborigines — Close of Revolutionary War — Aborig-
ines not satisfied without continual supply of Intoxicants and Excitement — Con-
tinued Aggression of the British. 170(5-1783.

CHAPTER VI.
Organization of the Territorv Northwest ok the Ohio River 152

Cessions of Claims by States to the United States — Jefferson's plan for Div-
ision of the West Rejected — Desire for Land in the Territory — Hostilities of
the Aborigines and Expeditions against them — British Refuse to surrender the
western Forts according to Treaty at Paris — Treaties with Aborigines disregarded
by them — Unfriendly action of the Spanish in restricting Navigation of the Mis-
sissippi leads to Disaffection in Ohio and Kentucky — Further British Aggres-
sions— Civil and Military Activity — American Efforts for Peace with the Aborig-
ines prove futile — Gen. Harmar's Expedition against the Hostiles by the Mau-
mee and his Defeat by them — Further unsuccessful efforts for Peace — Gen. St.
Clair's Expedition against the Savages and his overwhelming Defeat. 1784-1791.

CHAPTER VII.

Preparations of the Aborigines, Aided bv the British, to Drive the Ameri-
cans BACK East of the Alleghenies, and for .Army to Resist Them . . . 170

Aborigines would not accept Peace — Gen. Wayne chosen to command
Northwestern Army — Hamilton County extended to embrace this Basin — More
unsuccessful Efforts for Peace, and more Savagery by the Aborigines — The
largest Councils ever held by the Aborigines, at the mouth of the Auglaise River
and by the lower Maumee, for Federating them under Direction of the British —
Advance of Gen. Wayne's army — Further Intrigues of the Spanish and French

— Wayne builds Forts Greenville and Recovery — British build Fort Miami by
lower Maumee — Battle of Fort Recovery — Wayne's successful Expedition to
and along the Maumee — Builds Forts Adams and Defiance — Great daring of
American Scouts — Yet further Efforts for Peace prove Unavailing — Battle of
Fallen Timber, a wholesome Defeat of the Aborigines and British — Return of
army and the Strengthening of Fort Defiance — Fort Wayne built. 1792-17514.

CHAPTER VIII.
General Wayne's Reports of his Maumee Campaign to the Secretary of War 207

Report of his March, Forts and Efforts for Peace — of Battle of Fallen
Timber — of Correspondence with British Commandant of F'ort Miami — Testi-
mony of Prisoners Criminating the British — Needs of the Northwestern Army —
of his and Colonel Hamtramck's Diplomacy in turning the .\borigines from the
British and Favorable to the Americans — Letters of Colonel Hamtramck from
Fort Wayne — The Aborigines' first Object-lesson in Fourth of July Celebrating

— The most Important Treaty at Greenville. 1794-179.1.

CHAPTER IX.

Treaties, Civil Organizations, Conspiracy of Tecumseh and the British . 230

Treaty with Spain counteracting Tendency to Secession from the Union of
Inhabitants west of the Alleghenies — Immigration — Colonel Hamtramck's
Letters from Fort Wayne concluded — Wampum and its Uses — The Military
Stations — The British Surrender their Forts in American territory — Scarcity
of Food — Wayne County Organized — Death of Gen. Wayne — Gen. Wilkinson
succeeds to Command of Northwestern Army — Court at Detroit for Wayne

CONTENTS.

County includingjthis Basin — Further Intrigues of France and Spain cause un-
rest— First Territorial Legislature — Ohio and Indiana Territories Organized —
Desire for Land, and Land Offices — Ohio Organized as a State — The Louisiana
Purchase quiets Secession tendencies — Fort Industry — Further Treaties with
Aborigines — Conspiracy of Tecumseh and the 'Prophet' aided by British against
the Americans — United States Trading Agencies among Aborigines — Battle of
Tippecanoe. 17!t.')-]S12,

CHAPTER X.

The First Year of the War of 1812 268

Gen. William Hull chosen to command Northwestern Army composed of
Ohio Soldiers — Builds Forts M'.\rthur. Necessity. Findlay and Miami (No. 6) —
Despoiled by British through his Thoughtlessness —Surrenders Army to British
without battle — Siege of Fort Wayne by Aborigines — Relieved by Gen. Har-
rison— Gen. Winchester appointed commander Northwestern Army — British
force Retreat before him — Forts Barbee, Jennings, Amanda, Winchester, Feree,
Ball and Stephenson built — Gen. Harrison succeeds Gen. Winchester in Com-
mand and appoints him Commander of Left Wing — Winchester's five Camps at
Defiance and great Scarcity of Food and Clothing at, with much Sickness and
Death — Gen. Harrison's Report — Winchester's Advance, and Defeat, with
Massacre, at the River Raisin — Fort Portage built.

CHAPTER XI.

The Second and Third (Final) Years of the War of 1S12 . .... 313

The Center and Right Wing of Northwestern Army drawn from to Protect
the Maumee region — Fort Meigs built — Military Supplies increase — Difficulties
in keeping Army Recruited — Large gathering of Savages by British — Fort Meigs
Besieged by British and their Savage Allies- Imprudence. Defeat, and Massacre
of many of Col. Dudley's troops — Siege of Fort Meigs abandoned by British —
Incidents of Array Life at Fort Meigs — Supplies — Much Sickness and Many
Deaths at Fort Meigs — Fourth of July Observance — Fort Seneca built — Second
(bloodless) Siege of Fort Meigs — Brilliant repulse of British at Fort Stephenson

— The Naval Squadrons on Lake Erie — Battle and Capture of Entire British
Squadron — Advance of Northwestern Army into Canada — Defeat of British
Army at the River Thames — Gen. Harrison goes to Niagara to aid the Army of
the Center, Returns to Ohio and Resigns Command - Proctor's Selfishness —
Report of Gen. Gano — More Sickness at Fort Miegs with short Supplies — Re-
port of Gen. M'Arthur — Treaty closing War of 1812 — All Forts in this Basin
Abandoned excepting Fort Wayne. 1813-1814.

CHAPTER XII.
The Aborigines, Treaties with, Missionaries Among, and Removal of . . 304

Again turn to Americans to be Fed — Important Treaties with — Expenditures
for — Number of — Difficulties in Civilizing them — Their Religion — Efforts to
keep Intoxicants from — Reservations for them and their Captives — Agents for

— Missionaries among the Aborigines, the F'riends, Presbyterians, Methodists,
and Baptists — Great Extent of Land Claimed by Aborigines — Wisdom in Con-
tracting their Range — Further Removal Treaties — United States pays Debts
for — Vaccination of against Smallpox — Descendants of the Aborigines in Gen-
eral and in Particular — Cannibalism of —Later Characteristics compared with
Former— Evil influences of the French and British — Many Fictions promulgat-
ed and perpetuated regarding — Their Misnaming and Mistraining — Linguistic

vi COMTEMTS'.

Stocks here Represented — Tribes — Had no right to claim Lands for their Con-
tinuance in Savagery. 1812-1840.

CHAPTER XIII.

The Present Drainage System of the Maumee River Basin 443

Peculiar Courses of the Nine Rivers, and the Causes — Character of the
Water — The Rivers as Early Thorofares — River Craft -Service of the Rivers
to the Aborigines and Early Settlers as Food Supply of Fish and Fowl — Changes
wrought by Clearing the Forest and by Mills — Present Service of for Water-
supply and as Resorts for Recreation and Pleasure — Description of the Maumee,
Auglaise, Little Auglaise, St. Mary, St. Joseph, Blanchard, Ottawa of the Au-
glaise, Ottawa of the Maumee, and of the Tiffin River — Origin of their Names —
Their Rapids, and former Mills by — Floods — Former Portages to and from —
Boat building by, and later Commerce along — Toledo Harbor the Best by the
Great Lakes -Its Shipping, and Shipbuilding.

CHAPTER XIV.

The First American Settlers, and the Organization of Counties . . . 512

First Settlers by the lower Maumee were Driven away by War of LSI 2 —
Reminiscences of— Claim Damages of United States for Destruction or Use of
Crops in the War — Survey of the United States Reservations and the Beginning
of Towns — First Masonic Lodges and Churches — First Newspapers — Wood the
first County Organized Waynesfield the Mother Township — Description of
Site of Defiance in 1792 — First American Settlers at Occupy buildings of Fort
Winchester — Organization of Williams County with Defiance as seat of Govern-
ment— Taxes paid by Bounty on Wolf-scalps — Center of Timber Industry in
Clearing the Forest — First Settlers and Organizations at Fort Wayne and north-
eastern Indiana, and elsewhere throughout the Basin — The Ohio-Michigan
Boundary Dispute. 17!>2-lS."iO.

CHAPTER XV.
Development of Communication, Public Lands, Schools, Libraries . . . 570
First United States Mailroutes and Postoffices — Public Roads. Ferries,
Bridges — Survey and Platting of United States Lands — Land Offices — The
Private and Public Schools —Colleges — The Miami and Erie and the Wabash
and Erie Canals — The Struggles for their Completion - Their Water-supply
from the River St. Joseph, the headwaters of the Wabash River, of Loramie and
Six-mile Creeks and from the Maumee River — Their Junction — Altitudes —
Importance of in Clearing the Forest and Developing the New Country — Great
amount of Freight and Passenger Traffic — As a National Military Highway —
Enemies of — Cost and Earnings of —Two United States Surveys for their En-
largement— Speculative and soon-abandoned Towns by — Abandonment of the
Wabash Canal — The First Railroads — Libraries, Public at Toledo, Perrys-
burg. Defiance, Fort Wayne, Bryan, Van Wert, Findlay, Lima, Paulding, and
Private Libraries at Fort Wayne, Defiance, and Toledo.

Iron, five inches lony. Found in Maumee River Basin many years a^o. Was used by Aboriyines
i'q spearing fish, and in battle. In Author's Collection.

PREFACE

Every river basin possesses characteristics that endow it with
special interest, and such is particularly the case with The Maumee
River Basin which is peculiar in its geology, remarkable in its past his-
tory, beautiful in its landscapes rivers and lakes, and interesting in its
possibilities. This book has been written to interest and inform those
dwellers herein who are not already well informed regarding its charac-
teristics and history, and that all consulting it may be better enabled to
appreciate the interests and merits appertaining to this favored region.

From the dawn of its history in the seventeenth century, and prob-
ably throughout the existence of man in northeastern America, the
principal rivers of this Basin have been great thoroughfares, within the
Basin itself and as the most direct route between the northeastern
Basin of the Great Lakes and the Basin of the Mississippi River. They
have also often been the scenes of much strife between different tribes
of Aborigines, even between those of the Iroquois Confederacy of New
York and the Miamis ol the Maumee and further west, the giants of the
Aborigines; and twice in the history of the United States this Basin has
been the headquarters of armies which turned the current of events fav-
orably to the Union, saving to it from the tightening grasp of Great
Britain the invaluable territory west of the Allegheny Mountains, to the
Mississippi River at least.

The Aborigines and their descendants give prominent coloring to
the most part of the chronicles, through the efforts of the Europeans to
involve them in all their quarrels, from the first coming of the French in
the first half of the seventeenth century, through the long-continued
British-French warrings, during the British succession, the American-
British wars, and until the removal of the tribes beyond the Mississippi
River in the first half of the nineteenth century. The later record of
these people here as elsewhere is far from being a pleasant one. It
continued to be full of savagery, of bloodshed, and of rendings of the
civilization that would have immeasurably improved their condition had
they accepted it; and the saddest part of the record is the aiding, abett-
ing and prolonging of this savagery by the French and the British partic-
ularly, and the entailing upon the United States of an evil heritage of
gigantic proportions in their confirmed evil habits. It has been the de-
sire of the writer to treat of all these people in the light of authentic
history rather than in the fictitious war of the sentimentalist. The
story of the Aborigines, for the one hundred and fifty years as told on
these pages, touches every phase of their life, including every phase of
individual and governmental dealings with them; and the thoughtful
reader will readily recognize the source gf the impulses actuating and

vu! . PREFACE.

continuing their antagonism to civilization and the source and transmis-
sion of the habit of inebriety which has been the prime factor in the
continuance of many of their descendants in squalor and wretchedness.
No other nation has done so much for the amelioration and radical bet-
terment of the condition of barbaric or savage people as the United
States has done in general and special efforts from the first for the civ-
ilization of these Aborigines, the worst of all savages. The most im-
portant treaties and dealings with them are here given in full as studies
in the history of the evolution of the ever magnanimous dealings with
them by the United States. These records, now long out of publica-
tion, will become of more interest and of greater value to the student
of Nations and Peoples as the time lengthens into the past.

The previous writings regarding some of the more common events
in this Basin have been abundant and often conflicting, involving diffi-
culty in discrimination. There has not been any desire with the pres-
ent writer to follow anyone among the vanities of fiction or undue sup-
position; or in the 'graphic' style for the rounding out of a 'good'
or oft repeated story to the distraction of the reader's mind from the
main point, or to the impairment of accuracy. So far as practicable
original documents and reports, not readily accessible to the general
reader, are literally presented as possessing a value that no recasting
can equal.* When necessary, notes or inserts are used to elucidate
obscure places in the documents and to give them local application.
Full references to authorities are given for the enquiring reader who de-
sires to confirm the statements or to pursue the subject further.
Events distantly relative are briefly treated.

The purpose of the work has been practical, and its method has
been largely in consonance with the sentiment of Francis Bacon as ex-
pressed in his writing on the Advancement of Learning, that "It is the
true office of history to represent the events themselves together with
the counsels, and to leave the observations and conclusions thereupon
to the liberty and faculty of every man's judgment."

The writer gratefully acknowledges the courtesy shown him by the
elderly people and those in charge of the different libraries East and
West from whom he has sought data for this work. He also disclaims
responsibility for its long rest in the press and for errors that have
thereby been committed.

The photographs reproduced in the engravings were generally
taken by the writer excepting when otherwise mentioned.

Defiance, Ohio. CHARLES E. SLOCUM.

■'It is probable that many other records of interest in the history of this first ' Northwestern Terri-
tory' will yet be brought to lieht from the British, French and Spanish archives, and possibly from the
bundles of MSS. saved from the British hre gf 1814 and now held by different departments ^t Washing-
ton,

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN

CHAPTER I.

Situation — Extent — Climate — Surface Features.

The Maumee River Basin — the territory within the watersheds
draining' through the Maumee River — includes all the regions that are
drained into the Maumee River through distant streams as well as the
lands drained directly by the Maumee ; in other words, it includes the
Maumee River Valley and the valleys of all streams the waters of
which immediately, and remotely through other streams, debouch into
the Maumee River.

It embraces Northwestern Ohio, Northeastern Indiana, and contig-
uous parts of Michigan, being situated between parallels 40° 23' and
42° 5' North Latitude, and between Longitude 6° 20' and 8'' 15' west
from Washington, and 83° 20' and 85° 15' west from Greenwich,
England.

Its greatest length and breadth are, from north to south about one
hundred and ten miles, and from east to west about one hundred miles,
with less extent and irregular outline between these points. The area
embraced within these limits is near 6500 square miles.

Previous to its clearing in the nineteenth centurv, this Basin was
quite generally covered with dense forest growths which, from the size,
solidity and variety of the timber, with its nearness to navigable water,
made it the most valuable of forest regions.

The conditions were then favorable for all kinds of wild animals,
large and small, then abounding in this latitude in America.'^

* The followlni: is a list of the animals that have become extinct, and the dates of their extinction :
Badger, Taxidea americana. lS7i): Bear, brown, black or cinnamon, Ursus americanus, 1^72; Beaver,
Castor fiber. 1837; Bison, 'buffalo,' Bison americanus. 1812; Cat, Wild, Lynx rufus. 1866; Deer, red,
Cariacus virginianus. ]dS9: Deer, larce. Wapiti, Cervus canadensis Erxleben. 1824; Elk, Alee aices,
1822; Fox, black and silver, and cross, Vulpes vulpes. varieties argentatus and decussatus. 1886; Fox,
gray, Urocyon cinereo-argentatus. 1896: Lynx. Lynx canadensis. 1840; Otter, Lutra hudsonica. now very
nearly or quite extinct; Panther, coujrar or puma, Felis concolor. 18,50; Rat, Wood. Neotoma floridana,
1880; Sable, pine martin. Mustela americana. 186.t; Turkey, Wild, Meleagris galiopavo, 1885; Wolf,
Canis lupus, 1865; Wolverine, Gulo gulo. about 1825, Probably the Moose also ranged through this
region. The prehistoric animals will be mentioned on later page, See the writer's check-lists of
mammals, birds, and lishes of The Maumee River Basin,

2 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

There are no hills within or surrounding this Basin, nor do its
horizons present any abrupt lines. The general surface is caljed flat by
persons coming from hilly regions. Its glacial plains are, however, in-
terspersed and abutted by moraines or low ridges which rise graduall\-
on the northwest rim of the Basin to an altitude of six hundred and
forty-seven feet above Lake Erie which liorders it on the northeast, and
into which it drains, while on the east the highest altitude is two
hundred and forty-five feet ; on the south three hundred and eighty-six
feet ; and on the west three hundred feet above Lake Erie, which is
five hundred and seventy-three feet above tide water. The varying
altitudes throughout the Basin, shown on the morainic map on a later
page, indicate sufficient slopes for thorough drainage, and to afford
variety of tieautiful landscapes even in its most level parts.

The climate is here less severe in winter tlian that experienced a
few miles to the north, and less variable than that be\'ond the divide to
the south. Cold waves and severe storms occasionally announced by
the United States Weather Bureau as advancing from the West and
Northwest, do not regularly extend to this region: and when they are felt
it is in moderated degree. The prevailing winds come from the South-
west. The snowfall is always moderate in quantity, a foot in depth
being of rare occurrence in the central jiart of the Basin, and fifteen
inches being the greatest de]3th experienced within the last third of a cen-
tury at least. Occasionally the fall has been greater near Lake Erie.
Within this period of time there have been several weeks of fair sleigh-
ing from frequent light snowfalls in some winters, with ice on the deeper
waters in extreme to the thickness of thirty inches, succeeded by other
winters when sleighs could be used liut little if at all, and some of these
winters so mild that ice did not form in sufficient thickness for storing
for summer use. The temperature observed some years ago for a period
of ten years showed a mean of 49.55 degrees Fahrenheit, average.
The mean average fall of rain and snow ( melted ) during ten years
observation has been 3H.90H7 inches. The last few years the precipita-
tion has not been so great. Careful observations during a great num-
ber of years may vary these records, as long cycles of time ma\- be
necessary to show all the extremes in any region.

The earlier tillers of the soil found it very wet. The clav and solid
subsoil, which abound in many parts, retained the water without ditches
and in forest shadows a long time, often throughout the year. On this
account much of this Basin was termed the Black Swamp, a name
which was in common ap]ilication to all of the more level surfaces
until the last few years. The clearing of the land and the digging of
large ditches with tributary tile drains, have dried and aerated the soil
and brought it into good condition for profitable cultivation. The

INTRODUCTORY. S

constituents of the soil are such as to make this a region of threat and
durable fertility, with quite uniform jiroduction of the varied crops usu-
alh' cultivated in this latitude, winter wheat, maize (corn), hav,
potatoes, oats, rye, and barley beinj;- the principal crops. Flax,
tobacco, broom-corn, sori^hum, sugar beets, etc., have also been proved
profitable for cultivation.

Good apples, peaches, pears, plums, and grapes are produced in
large quantities, and increasing attention is being given to the cultiva-
tion of various kinds of smaller fruits ; also to market gardening.

A goodly number of cattle, horses, hogs, sheep, and latterly goats,
have been bred, and the numbers are increasing Irom vear to vear,
showing that the soil and other conditions are well adajitc-d to stock
raising. Defiance, the central part of the liasin, has also become one
of the shipping points of the largest amount ot i)oultr\- to the New York
market.

Swamp miasms were rife from the first records of this Maumee
region and during the period of clearing awa}' the forest, the opening
of the ground to the direct rays of the sun, during the earlier turnings
of the soil in its cultivation, and in ]uiblic works. Ague - intermittent
fever — in its different forms, and the severer remittent fevers, were
quite general and severe until the year 1875 in most parts of the Basin ;
and in the less develojied parts these diseases continued for several
years later. The writer, in the practice of his profession, has treated
virulent types of these affections in many families where there was not
a member in good health to nurse those dangerously sick. These
diseases were most prevalent and severe in dry summers ; and the fol-
lowing winters inflammatory diseases were numerous and virulent on
account of the weakened condition ot the people from the malaria.
The death rate, although no higher than in other places throughout the
country, was greater those years than it has since been. In fact, since
the passing of the swamps and their miasms the healthfuluess of this
Basin ranks very favorably with that of any region in America. Most
parts have been comparatively free from the severer forms of contagi-
ous diseases, including tuberculosis. In later years longe\'it\ has
attained a high standard. The death rate averages comjiarativelv low,
it being by the thousand inhabitants in the year 1901 or 19()- as follows:

In Ohio for 1901: Ada, I'lAr.', : Bryan, 14.H7 ; Ottawa. K.«0 ;
Maumee, 9.16: Lima, 1;130 : Delphos, 14.17: Grand Raiiids, 9.11:
Napoleon, 7.97; Wauseon, 7.91: Fayette, 15.80: St. Marys, 13.25.

In Ohio for 1902: Defiance, 8.50: Van Wert, 9.87 '2: Findlay,
11.381; Toledo, 11.54,-J; Waytakoneta, 15.33'3.

In Indiana for 1902: Angola, 8.84ttt: Fort Wayne, 11,50,

THE COUNTIES COMPOSING THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

Name

From Whom or
What Named

From What Taken

Attached to for
Government

Adams. Ind,
Allen, Ind.
Allen, Ohio
Auglaize. Ohio
Defiance, Ohio
De Kalb, Ind.
Fulton, Ohio
Hancock, Ohio
Hardin, Ohio
Henry. Ohio
Hillsdale. Mich.
Lenawee, Mich.
Lucas, Ohio
Mercer, Ohio
Noble, Ind.
Paulding'. Ohio
Putnam, Ohio
Seneca. Ohio
Shelby, Ohio
Steuben, Ind.
Van Wert, Ohio
Wells, Ind.
Williams, Ohio
Wood. Ohio
Wyandot. Ohio

Pres. John Adams
Col. John Allen
Col. John Allen
Auglaize River
Fort Defiance
Baron De Kalb
Robert Fulton
John Hancock
Col. John Hardin
Patrick Henry
Topography
Aborigine
Gov. Robert Lucas
Gen. Hugh Mercer

John Paulding
Gen. Israel Putnam
Aborigine Tribe
Gen. Isaac Shelby
Baron Steuben
Isaac Van Wert
William Wells
Daniel Williams
Col. Eleazer D. Wood
Aborigine Tribe

1836

Dec. 17, 1823
April 1. 1830

1848

March 4, 1845

1837

Feby. 28, 1850
April 1. 1820
April 1, 1820
April 1. 1H20

Randolph and Allen Counties

Randolph and Delaware

Aborigine Territory
Allen, Logan. Darke, Shelby,
Mercer and Van Wert

Williams, Henry and Paulding

Allen and Lagrange

Lucas. Henry and Williams

Aborigine Territory

Allen County

Mercer County

Wood County
Logan, Champaign
Wood. Williams

June , 1H35
April 1, 1820

Wood County
Aborigine Territory

Darke County

April 1, 1820
April i, 1820
April 1. 1820

1819

1837

April 1. 1820

Aborigine Territory
Aborigine Territory
Aborigine Territory
Miami County
Allen County
Aborigine Territory

Wood, Williams
Wood, Williams

Darke and Mercer

April 1, 1820
April 1, 1820
Feby. 3, 1845

Aborigine Territory

Aborigine Territory
Crawford, Hancock, Hardin
and Marion Cos.

Wood County

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AMERICAN BISON [Bison americanus).
Became extinct in this Basin about the year 1812.

WITH SOMETHING OF THEIR DATA. ARE AS FOLLOWS.

Population

Part

IN THE

Basin

Where
Governed

Organized

1820

1830

laio

18,50

1860

1870

1880

1890

1900

1H36

3.264

5,797

9,252

11, .383

15.385

20.181

23,332

3-4ths

Decatur

4,143

Dec. 17, 1»33

996

.5.942

16,919

29,328

43,494

.54.763

66,689

77.270

4-5ths

Fort Wayne

45,115

June , 1831

578

9.079

12,109

19,185

33,623

31.314

40,644

47,976

Entire

Lima

21,723

1H48

11.3.38

17,187

20,041

35.444

28,100

31,192

9-lOths

Wapakoneta

3,915

March 4, 1845

6,966

11,886

15,719

22,515

25.769

26.387

Entire

Defiance

7.6.57

1837

1,968

8,351

13,880

17.107

30,225

34.307

35.711

Entire

.Auburn

3.396

Feby. 28. 1850

7,781

14,043

17,789

21,053

32,023

32.801

Entire

Wauseon

2.148

April 7, 1828

813

9,986

16.751

22.880

23,847

27,784

42,563

41,993

3-4ths

Find lay

17.613

J any. 3, 1833

210

4.598

8,251

I3,.570

18,714

27.023

28,939

31,187

l-4th

Kenton

6.852

1824

262

2.503

3,434

8,901

14,028

20,585

25,080

27,283

19-30ths

Napoleon

3,639

7,240

16,1.59

25,675

31.684

31,695

30,660

39,865

1-3

Hillsdale

4.151

9,654

131,, 822

1,491

17,889

26,373

38.112

45,.595

49,324

48,448

48,406

I -5th

Adrian

June , 1835

9,.1S2

12,303

2.5.831

46.732

67,377

102.296

1,53„559

Entire

Toledo

April 17, 1824

1,110

8.377

7.713

14,104

17,254

21,808

27.230

38.031

3-4ths

Celina

2,815

3.703

7.946

14,915

30,389

23,950

23,3.59

23.533

1,324

3,08t;)

15
16

1839

161

1,034

1,766

4,945

8,.544

13,485

35.933

37.528

Entire

PauldiuK

1834

230

5,189

7,231

12,808

17,081

23.713

30,188

32.525

9-lOths

Ottawa

3,322

April 1. IHH

.5,1.59

1,8,128

27,104

30,868

30,827

36,947

40,869

41.163

l-30th

Tiffin

10,989

1819

2,106

3.671

13,1.54

13,958

17,493

20,748

24,137

34,707

24,625

1-lOth

Sidney

5,688

1837

2.578

6,104

10.374

12.854

14,645

14,478

15.319

l-4th

Anijola

2.141

1836

I. .577

4,793

10.338

15.833

23,028

39,671

30,394

Entire

Van Wert

6,422

1,822

6,1.52

10,848

13,.585

18,442

21,514

33,449

l-20th

Bluffton

4,479

April . 1824

387

4,465

8,018

16,633

30,991

33,821

24,897

34,953

Entire

Bryan

3,13!

April 1. 1820

733

1,102

5,.357

9,1.57

17,886

34,,596

34,032

44,392

61,5,55

I -3rd

Bowling Green

5,067

Feby. 3, 1845

11,194

15,596

18„5,53

32.395

21 732

31,125

l-15th

I'p'r Sandusky

3,355

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

CHAPTER II.

Its Ge<ilogv — Peculiarities-^Valuable Features.

It is not within the limits of this book to treat of the geology of the
Maumee River Basin in detail as discussed technically by geologists.
The object of the writer is to briefly outline the subject so that the local
reader, for whom this work is undertaken, even though he be as yet un-
interested and uninformed, may get somewhat of a desire, an impetus,
and A bibliography for further reading.

The historic period of this region occupies but a brief time in chro-
nologv in comparison with the great length of time which must have
elapsed during the formation of the topography as seen by the first
European explorers in the latter half of the seventeenth century.

The ocean is the mother of continents. The inland State of Ohio
bears unmistakable evidence of having been covered by the sea during
the long geologic periods that the rocks of her underlying strata, so far
as explored, were formed. The character of these rocks, including the
fossils found embedded by them, in common with similar formations in
other parts of the earth, plainly bespeak their epoch in the earth's geo-
logic historv. Animal life in the sea varied in different epochs as well
as life on the land. The remains were subjected to the continued action
of the waves, in the more shallow ]iarts, which washed some shells and
bones into plastic recesses, there to become petrified, while others were
ground into powder to be deposited and cemented to the accretion of
rock strata. The study and classification of the varying strata and their
fossils have shown results sufficient to enable geologists to name the
period of formation of even dislocated fragments of strata wherever
found. All the rock strata of this Basin were deposited from the
waters of a sea which is understood as having been an extension of the
Gulf of Mexico, as its most fossiliferous strata, the Upper Helderberg
or Corniferous Limestone for example, bear evidences of having been
deposited from clear waters of tropic warmth.'^

Study of the accompanying Chart will show the geologic relations
of the Maumee River Basin to the more complete parts of Ohio, to
those of other parts of North America, and of Europe. This Chart
shows that the geological column of this Basin is the shortest of the

* See the Geological Survey of Ohio. ISW. pane 45.

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

CHAPTER II.

Its Geolhgy — Peculiartties-^Valuable Features.

It is not within the limits of this book to treat of the geology of the
Maumee River Basin in detail as discussed technically by geologists.
The oliject of the writer is to briefl\- outline the subject so that the local
reader, for whom this work is undertaken, even though he he as yet un-
interested and uninformed, may get somewhat of a desire, an impetus,
and .a bibliography for further reading.

The historic period of this region occupies but a brief time in chro-
nology in comparison with the great length of time which must have
elapsed during the formation of the topography as seen by the first
European explorers in the latter half of the seventeenth century.

The ocean is the mother of continents. The inland State of Ohio
bears unmistakable evidence of having been covered Iiy the sea during
the long geologic periods that the rocks of her underlying strata, so far
as explored, were formed. The character of these rocks, including the
fossils found embedded by them, in common with similar formations in
otht-r parts of the earth, plainly besjieak their epoch in the earth's geo-
logic history. Animal life in the sea varied in different epochs as well
as life on the land. The remains were sul:)jected to the continued action
of the waves, in the more shallow parts, which washed some shells and
bones into plastic recesses, there to become petrified, while others were
ground into powder to be deposited and cemented to the accretion of
rock strata. The study and classification of the varying strata and their
fossils have shown results sufficient to enable geologists to name the
period of formation of even dislocated fragments of strata wherever
found. All the rock strata of this Basin were deposited from the
waters of a sea which is understood as having been an extension of the
Gulf of Mexico, as its most fossiliferous strata, the Upper Helderlierg
or Corniferous Limestone for example, bear evidences of having been
deposited from clear waters of tropic warmth.'^

* See the Geological Survey of Ohio. 1H90, pawe 4f).

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PECULIARITIES OF THE GEOLOGIC STRATA. 7

comparatively short structure of Ohio. The principal rock strata miss-
ins^ in this Basin are the Sub-Carboniferous, the Carboniferous, Permian,
Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, and the Tertiary. The cause for the ab-
sence here of the rocks of those periods in geolog"ic history is, that at,
or soon following, the close of the rock period now represented here,
this region was elevated above the sea by some internal agencv and
could not receive any more deposits therefrom, while other parts of the
continent with later rock strata, remained relatively longer submerged.
Exposures of the rock floor by water erosions and by excavations, and
of the various underlying strata by quarrying, and by deep drillings for
water, oil and gas, have demonstrated the absence here of the strata
elsewhere formed during the later geologic periods, and determined the
strata here existing.

These rock explorations have also brought to light, and to the con-
sideration of geologists and chemists, features and characteristics of the
rock strata here existing that have opened new pages in their marvelous
history. It is thus demonstrated that they have been subjected to vary-
ing changes, not alone by pressure and chemic action, but by elevation
and depression, during the epochs since their deposition, as is shown
by varying densities, crystallizations, by the fossillization of the shells
and bones that escaped comminution in whole or in part, and bv the
irregularity observed in the strata.

The lowest rock formation in Ohio exposed in quarrv is supposed
to be at Point Pleasant, Clermont County. Latterl\- the rock of this
quarry has been classed as of the Trenton Period.*

The discovery of unquestioned Trenton Limestone in Ohio, how-
ever, was made by drillings in this Basin where it lies from 1000 feet
on the east to 2000 feet on the northwest below the surface. The
Trenton is the lowest stratum that has been entered in Ohio. Wells
have been drilled into it in nearly every county in the Basin with varying
results as to depth and product. The results of these drillings to the
depth of and into the Trenton stratum have also been the source of
surprises to geologists from their yield of Petroleum and Natural Gas, as
in other particulars. The comparatively level surface of most parts oi
this Basin had led to the belief that the underlying rock strata were
also level: but these drillings have revealed the surprising fact that they
are characterized by a far greater irregularity of structure, and by
greater suddenness and steepness of dip than the strata of any other
portion of Ohio. The most marked irregularities have thus far been
found toward the east side of the Basin where the well records show
that the strata dip at some points at the rate of three hundred feet to

* See the Geological Survey of Ohio. vol. i, paue 437, and vol, vi, page 5.

8 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

the mile. The entire rock floor of this region bears evidence of
changed conditions from the elevations and depressions to which this

THk Lh\'KL LANDSCAPK.
Lookintr east of north from the Baltimore and Oliio Railway, and between Sections 25 and 26. Dela-
ware Township, Defiance County, Ohio, October .SOth, 1901. The white building to the left of the tall
tree is a United Brethren Church, and the building near the central distance is a School House, both
about 1% miles distant. The Maumee River flows from left to right on the proximal side of the large
building on the left in a channel about forty feet in depth. The road in the foreground is a private,
farm wagonway.

Basin has been subjected. It is not uncommon to find the strata
descending at an angle of from two to ten degrees, but the descent is
not generally long continued, and all irregularities are included in the
main dip to which they are subordinate.*

The data ' of drillings given on another page afford some
measurements for study of the irregularities of the rock strata in
dip and, also, in surface abrasion. The lower strata decline toward
the westward and the upper strata are exposed, mostly in water
courses and quarries, in the eastern half of the Basin. On the rim
of the Basin to the east, south and south-east, the Niagara or Lower
Helderberg formation is uppermost. Along the course of the Maumee
River to the western line of Lucas County, Ohio, and thence north-
easterly into Michigan the Hamilton Group, or Upper Devonian, is
uppermost. To the south of the Maumee for a varying width of from
twenty-five to thirty miles on the west to two or three miles on the
north, the Corniferous Limestone, or l^pper Helderberg, is the first
exposed. To the north and west of the Hamilton Group, overlying
all others is the Ohio Shale, the Huron Shale of the early geologic
surveys, and this is covered directly by the Glacial Drift of the
Quarternary Period.

* See the Geological Survey of Ohio. 1890, page 46.

NATURAL GAS AND PETROLEUM. 9

High pressure Natural Gas was discovered in the Trenton Lime-
stone at Findlav while drilling for water in November, 1884.*

Edge of the Petroleum District, Findlay, Ohio, one mile north of the Blanchard River. Looking
southeast 1st May, 1903. The Lake Erie & Western Railway in fore^;round. Manufactory of Fire-clay
Pots on riyht. Petroleum wells beinu pumped under the Derricks whicll serve as supports for the Drills.
Ward Scliool Buildint; to riyht of center, and tower of Findlay Colletje between cluster of Derricks and
teletirapli pole to left of center.

In May, 1885, Petroleum was first obtained in quantity at Lima,
also in the Trenton Rock, and soon thereafter both gas and oil were
found in great quantity. These products had been found before
in various strata, but not with sufficient pressure and cjuantit}' in
this Basin for profit. This large quantity of gas and oil from a Lower
Silurian Limestone was unexpected. Geologists in common with the
well-drillers were surprised at the discovery. t

It was sujiposed that the deep h'ing rocks were too dense to con-
tain any quantity of fluid. The drills, however, demonstrated high
degrees of porosity in places, which were estimated as equal to one-
tenth to one-eighth of the volume of the rock.+

'^Natural Gas pressure has been registered as hi>.'h as HiX) pounds to the s>iuare incli; and
other wells estimated as hiyh as 1000 pounds.

t See the Geological Survey of Ohio. 1890, page 106.

tThe Rock Waters of Ohio, Nineteenth Annual Report of the U. S. Geological Survey. 1897-98.
Part IV. Hydrography, page &40.

10 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

This porosity is due to chemic reaction and crystallization in the
rock, the later conditions requiring less space. Thus jiorosities,
caverns or pockets are formed, and their size or extent governs the
quantity of gas, oil or water obtainable. The drillers 'gas sand ' and
'oil sand' is com]iosed largely of fragments of this changed rock.
The elevations and depressions to which the rocks have been subjected
have, also, contributed fissures and cavities in which these products
mav be stored ; but generally, in this Basin at least, these products are
found in the natural (crystalline) porosities of the rock.

The great quantitv and value of Petroleum and Natural Gas found
in this Basin have endowed them and the Trenton Limestone with such
great interest and importance that further points in their story will be
briefly given. This limestone was given the name of the place of its
most picturesquely eroded outcrop at Trenton, New York. It gener-
allv lies deeply buried, but it has outcrops in different States. When
disintegrated l)v natural causes, such as rain, frost, heat, wind, etc., it
produces ver\- fertile soil — the Blue Grass region in Kentucky being a
well known illustration. The numerous deep drillings in this Basin
have demonstrated that Petroleum and Natural Inflammable Gas are
very widely distributed in the porosities of the different strata of its
rocks, as is the case in other countries. Gas is exhaled from shallow
water wells, and from the surface of the ground in numerous places,
even where the uppermost , stratum of rock is deeply buried. These
products have, however, as yet been found in this Basin in sufficient
quantitv for profit, onlv in the Trenton Limestone, and at the north-
eastern, eastern, and southern parts of the Basin — in Lucas, Wood,
Hancock, Allen, Auglaize, Mercer, and Van Wert Counties. It is dif-
ferent in other parts of Ohio, and in other States. In Fairfield County
gas is obtained with high pressure from the Clinton Limestone ; in
Pennsvlvania oil and gas are obtained from the Devonian formations ;
and the Tertiary formations yield these products in large quantity in
California, Italv, the Island of Trinidad, and al^out the Caspian Sea.

These products of the rocks are not of recent origin, nor of rapid
accumulation. Their formation has been going on during long geologic
periods, in different parts of the earth. The ruins of Babylon, Nineveh,
and many other places, evidence by the asphaltic mortar there found,
that Petroleum was known to the ancient builders thousands of years
ago. Marco Polo, the Venetian traveler, was probably the first to
mention, in his writings of the early part of the fourteenth century.
Natural Inflammable Gas ; and others soon thereafter described ' fire-
wells ' in the far east. The early white settlers in our .\ppalachian
Mountain regions and elsewhere were astonished, and apjialled, by
occasional explosive conflagrations when starting their fires in ra\ines,

ORIGIN OF NATURAL GAS AND PETROLEUM. 11

and by ' springs of water that would burn ' from the exhalation of gas
or oil, the origin and nature of which was not then understood. These
strange exhibitions were productive of superstitious fear, and served
to more deeply fix superstitious legends.

The discovery of high pressure Gas and Petroleum in great quan-
tities in America, and their extensive application to the use of man,
however, are of recent years. The increased supply and application
of the oil began in Pennsylvania about the year 1H60, and in West Vir-
ginia, Ohio, and California, from 1870 to 1875.

The Natural Gas of some regions is closely associated with Petro-
leum and consists largely of marsh gas (CH4), varying in different
localities from varying temperatures and its more or less association
with the lighter ingredients of the oil. The Gas from the Trenton
Limestone, however, presents more uniformity of constituent parts,
and It generally contains hydrogen sulphid (HS) which is indicative
of bituminous origin.

Petroleum Refinery and Stora^'e Tanks at Lima, Oliio. Looking south of west 1st May. 19U2. The
Petroleum is transferred to and from the Refinery and Tanks through under-ground Pipe Lines.

Several theories have been advanced regarding the origin of
Petroleuin and Natural Gas. A few persons have thought thev, or the
Petroleums particularly, are the jiroduct of chemic action among inor-
ganic substances under great pressure ■J'' others have contended that
they originate from chemic reactions of the ingredients of animal re-
mains ; and yet others have held that the chemic reactions producing
them are among vegetable remains. There are additional theories
regarding their origin. It seems most probable that thev result from
primary or secondary decomposition through Nature's process of
destructive distillation of both vegetable and animal matter that was
stored with the rocks at the time of their deposition. t The full nature

* See the writings of the French and Russian chemists Berthelot and Mendel^jeif.

t See the writings of Hans Hoefer of the Royal School of Mines, Leoben, Austria: of J. S.
Newberry, Geological Survey of Ohio, vol. i; of S. F. Peckham in the if. S. Census Reports 1880; of
T. Sterry Hunt: and G. P. Wells Report of the Trinidad Asphalt.

12 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

and detail of this process is not understood, nor the influences that
inorganic substances exert in the process, if any. The_v, or the
Petroleums, are complex combinations of chemic elements resulting
from the decomposition and transformation of organic matter probably
in connection with the inorganic, possibly as catalvtics.* They belong
to the bitumens and the hydrocarbons, with an average proportion of
the two elements in the mixture of carbon eighty-five and h\drogen
fifteen to the one hundred. Petroleum is thought to be the first pro-
duced in Nature's laboratory in the rocks. It is more complex and
unstable in composition than gas although the elements carbon, hydro-
gen and oxygen in var^'ing combinations form both, with occasion-
ally small quantities of nitrogen, sulphurous gas, (HS) and other
elements attending.

The present Petroleum business in northwestern Ohio has been
summarized as follows :T

During the first week in June, 1903, the number of wells com-
pleted in Wood County was 24; production of Petroleum from these
wells for the fragmentary part of the week, 710 barrels; number
of non-i)roducing wells, 2; in Hancock County, 21-H70-1 ; Allen, 27-
910-1; Auglaize, 1-20^0; Sandusky, 6-180-1; Lucas, 4-20-0; Mercer,
5-120-1; Van Wert, 12-310-1; Seneca, 2-45-0; Wyandot, 2-15-1;
Ottawa, 3-300-1. Total, 107 wells, yielding in the part of week of
their completion, 3480 barrels, with 9 'Dry Holes.'

Omitting Wyandot County, the activity in this field during the last
week in June was: Wells completed, 129; product of these wells,
4197 barrels: non-productive wells, 9. During this week Allen
County led with 28 wells with two dry, and 1120 barrels initial pro-
duction.

During the first week in July the report shows Wood County, 23
wells, 745 barrels, 2 dry holes; Hancock, 26-835-2; Allen, 32-1210-2;
Auglaize, 3-60-0: Sandusky, 17-310-2; Lucas, 5-105-0; Mercer, 8-
245-0; Seneca, 2-15-1; Van Wert, 12-390-2; Wyandot, 2-40-1; Otta-
wa, 3-110-1. Total, 133-4065-13.

For the second week of July, 1903: Wood, 40-610-4; Hancock,
35-1180-5; Allen, 31-960-2; Auglaize, 1-15-0: Sandusky, 8-65-1;

* Sabatier and Senderens reported to the Academy of Sciences, 26th May. 1902, a theory of subter-
ranean chemical action amoni; inorganic substances alone as the possible origin of Petroleum. In their
laboratory experimentations, startiny with acetylene (C2 H2l and hydroijen (H) they, by the aid of finely
divided nickel and its related metals, obtained a liquid similar to Petroleuni. It is only necessary to
admit that in the depths of the earth are found, diversely distributed, alkaline-earthy metals, as well as
the carbids of these metals. Water, coming in contact with the former, sets hydrotjen free; and with
the carbids acetylene is set free. These two tases. in variable proportions, meet nickel, cobalt, and iron
— metals widely diffused in nature — and fjive rise to reactions that produce the various kinds of Petro-
leum. This explanation is in harmony with the theories of Berthelot and Mendel<?jeff referred to above.
See Cosmos, 23rd May. 1903.

t From The Toledo Bee. June 7, 1903. and the Toledo Blade, of various dates in June and July.

PRODUCTION OF NATURAL CAS AND PETROLEUM. 15

Lucas, 3-45-0; Mercer, 6-120-1 : Seneca, 1-25-0; Van Wert, 8-205-1 ;
Wyandot, 2-15-0; Ottawa, 2-60-0. Total, 137 wells completed, with
8800 barrels initial flow of Petroleum, and 14 wells non-productive.

The process of drilling^ wells for Natural Gas and Petroleum, is as
follows: A derrick is erected (see illustration on page 9), and the
'big hole bit' is used to open the way through the Glacial Till to the
rock, when the ' drive pipe ' incasing this hole is settled on the rock.
The heavy drill is now set at work, it being elevated and dropped by a
rope working over a pulley at the top of the derrick and connected
with a beam near the ground which is worked by a steam engine some-
what removed from the well to avoid igniting the Gas and Petroleum
that may be found. Water is added to the hole from time to time if it
be too dry: and the drill is removed and the bailor is used as often
as desirable to take the comminuted rock from the hole. If a great
flow of water is encountered, or large opening in or between the
strata, a casing-pipe about six inches in diameter is intruded to make
the well whole and exclude the water, and the drilling is continued.
When the crystalline rock, forming the ' oil-bearing sand' and Petro-
leum are found, and the flow is not satisfactory, the well is 'shot' with
nitro-glycerine. This explosive is lowered carefullv to the bottom of
the well in from three to fifteen tin ' shells' each usually containing
twenty quarts. A heavy iron, shaped for the purpose, and stvled a
go-devil ' by the operators, is then dropped upon these shells. The
explosion which ensues, and which usually causes but little eruption
of water, stones, mud. Gas and Petroleum above ground, fissures the
rock and enlarges the chamber at the bottom of the well. This is
often followed by a good flow of Petroleum. Occasionally the gush is
so great as to throw the casing out and demolish the derrick, in which
case a great flood of Petroleum accumulates on the ground before the
well can l:)e recased and a head put on the casing to control the flow.
Generally, however, it is necessary to use a pump to obtain the Petro-
leum, even from many profitable wells.

The Petroleum and Gas Fields present a weird appearance at night
from the many large Gaslights, burning from pipes and casting deep
shadows of the derricks and their appurtenances. These lights often
burn during the day, also, from neglect, or want of convenient stops.

The magnitude of the Petroleum business of the Buckeve Pipe
Line Company from all of their wells in northwestern Ohio during
the first five months of 1903, is reported as follows: Januarv, 1,551,-
215 barrels shipped, 1,353,408 barrels run through pipes; February,
1,498,194-1,250,337; March, 1,526,041-1,393,348: April, 1,507,108-
1,803,415; May, 1,597,693-1,386,866. Total, 7,680,252 barrels of ship-
ments, and 6,687,374 of runs.

14 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

About 15,000 Petroleum and Gas wells have been drilled in Wood
County. Some of these were non-productive, and many were soon
apparently exhausted. In March, 1903, about HOOO of these wells
remained productive and yielding owners of the land at the rate of
^2,000,000 per year in royalties. The capital invested is about $10,000,000.

The numerous drillings for Gas and Oil have developed in places
excellent water supi)ly. It is regretted that more careful observation
and record were not, and are not, made of the character of the rock
waters and of the varying depths and conditions of their flow. Most
of these favorable opportunities for observation regarding water supply
were unsought, and the flow of water was a hindrance to be overcome
by casing as soon as possible. Rock strata to be water i:)roducing must
be porous, with large caverns or subways connected with porosities
or joints ; and a large supply of water at a higher level is necessary for
flowing fountains, and for continuous supply at the well. The Niagara
Limestone often affords a liberal supply of stored water. It has numer-
ous seams and joints open sufficiently for this purpose. The Onondaga
Limestone, however, accommodates some of the most noted springs
from its larger channels. The Devonian series also affords in places a
good quantity of water, but it is often highly mineralized by solution of
iron pyrites firon sulphid, FeS), calcium, sodium, aluminum, mag-
nesium, and potassium, carbonates and sul^jhates. The iron in the
Corniferous Limestone usually comes from the overlying Ohio Shale.
At greater depths, below 100 feet, and generally below 1000 feet for
quantity, the water often contains chlorids, sodium chlorid (table salt)
predominating in such quantity as to make the water unpotable. Par-
ticularly is this the case in the Trenton Limestone. Such water flowing
in quantity-, formerly stopped the drilling in quest of Petroleum ; but
pumping, or casing off the water, and deeper drilling sometimes secures
a good oil well. In the Gas and Oil regions the upper surface of the
Trenton Rock varies from about 1000 to about 140(.) feet below the
surface of the ground ; and many productive wells extend but a com-
paratively few feet into this rock — from "200 to 450 feet below the sur-
face of tide water (the level of the Atlantic Ocean).

The great increase in the number of Petroleum and Gas wells
about the city of Findlay, and particularly above and along the Blan-
chard River from which the water sui)])l\- has been largely obtained,
has led to intolerable pollution of the water in the ditches, creeks, and
river, by the pumpings from these deep wells of great quantities of
water highly charged with the mineral salts before mentioned, and by
impure Petroleum.

This pollution became so general that a new source of potable
and culinary water supply became imperative. Upon consideration of

THE GEOLOGIC STRATA AND POTABLE WATER. 15

the subject, the 'Limestone Ridj^e ' about ten miles southeast of
Findlay was chosen as the most practicable and desirable source for
this supply : and in the sisrinsj; of 1903, work began foi the laying of a
line of glazed cla\- pipe, thirty inches in diameter, from the F"indlav
Water Works southeastward to this Limestone Ridge for the pur-
pose of conducting to the cit\', liv gravity, water from wells at this
point.

This Limestone Ridge, which extends northeast-southwest
through Amanda and Big Lick Townships, Hancock County, as part
of the irregular spurs between the Defiance and St. Mary Moraines, is
but a few feet above the country to the eastward, and somewhat more
above the land to the westward and northwestward which was formerlv
swampy. It is based on the Niagara Limestone which is here upper-
most and affords good potable water, constantly flowing from springs
near the base of the Ridge and from wells on the Ridge of varx'ing
depths, from those to the level of the land to the west down to 150
feet. The water supply here is supposed to be sufficient : but the
place of its source, or fountain head, is unknown.

In the year 1S75 a persistent drilling for artesian water in the Court
House Square, Fort Wayne, Indiana, penetrated the following strata,
viz: Drift, 88 feet; Niagara Limestones, 8()2 : Hudson Shales, gray,
260 ; Utica Shales, black, 260 ; and into the Trenton Limestone, 1590
feet. The surface of the ground here is 772 feet above sea level, and
this well of 3000 feet dejjth e.xtends 2228 feet below sea level. Good
drinking water was obtained by means of a strong pump. From a later
well of far less depth drilled near the Maumee River, there has been a
constant flow of good potable water. Neither Gas nor Oil was obtained
from these wells.*

A well drilled in the }'ear 1886, in the Coe Run Glen at Defiance,
the center of the Basin, has the following strata record : Drift, 18 feet;
Ohio Shale, 60 ; Devonian and Upper Silurian Limestones, 850 ;
Niagara Shale, 52 : Clinton Limestone, 60 : Medina, Hudson River
and Utica Shales, 630 ; Trenton Limestone struck at 1670 feet, or
about 975 feet below tide water. A small quantity of Gas and Oil was
yielded. There has since been constant and full flow of clear, potable
water, slightly sulphureted. At Deshler, twenty-five miles east, a well
drilled in 1^86-87 ran through the strata as follows : Drift, 71 feet ;
Limestone, 610 ; Niagara Shale, 5 ; Clinton Limestone, 95 ; Shales,
700 ; Trenton Limestone found at 1485 feet, 765 below tide water.
This well was continued 115 feet into the Trenton Rock with but slight
vield of Gas.t

* See Sixteenth Annual Report Indiana Geology, page 127.
t See Geological Survey of Otiio. vol. vi. pages 253, 253.

16 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

Later wells have shown but little variation in thickness of strata
other than of Drift or Glacial Till which averages from forty to fifty
feet in thickness in the central part of the Basin.

The varying composition of the rocks may be stated as follows :
Calcium (lime) carbonate from 50 to 95 per cent; Magnesium carbon-
ate, from 0 to 50 per cent ; Silica (sand) generally physically blended,
and in cherty cryptocrvstalline (flinty) form, from 0 to 25 per cent;
Iron and Alumina from 0 to 7 per cent ; Insoluble Residue, from a
trace to 10 per cent.

Following its elevation from the sea this Basin evidently attained
a considerable altitude, estimated at from three hundred to four hundred
feet or more, higher than it is at present ; and it remained thus ele-
vated during a great length of time, as evidenced by deep erosions in
the rock — probably through the periods before mentioned to the
Ouarternary period.''

Whether these geologic periods occupied sixty million of years or
but fifty million, is material to us in this connection only to impress
our minds with the immensity of geologic time, and the consequently
great amount of rock disintegration, and erosion, that the elements had
time to effect. There were probably several elevations and depressions
during these and succeeding periods.!

As vet but little has been determined regarding the' character and
conditions of the surface of this Basin during the changing periods of its
elevations and subsidencies, and of the system of drainage channels.
Many careful and intelligent observations, and records, must needs be
made of drillings throughout the Basin, through the overlying mantle of

* See the Geologic Chart facing page 7.

t The many and marked changes in altitude that have occurred in different parts of the earth
have led to the theory that the exterior of the earth is but a comparatively thin crust, variously esti-
mated at from twenty-five to fifty or one hundred miles, surrounding a molten interior ; and that the
cooling of the inner surface of this crust causes its contraction which, in turn, produces depressions in
some parts of the exterior surface, and uplifts in other parts from lateral pressure. Other ceologists
hold to the theory that the earth is a solid. This process of corrugation is usually slow, but it is much
faster in some places and under certain conditions than others. Changes in tlie relative altitude of
different parts of the earth's surface is still being effected as formerly, sinking in some parts and rising
in others. It is estimated that the rock strata at the eastern end of Lake Erie are yet rising and that
the Lake is thereby inceasing in depth. It is evident that the Lake is now higher than formerly from
the fact of the submerged caves of its islands containing bones of land animals that undoubtedly once
lived therein ; and from the deep mouths of drowned river tributaries, the channels of which bear evi-
dence of running water erosions that could only have occurred at a lower stage of the Lake or during
elevation of the river valleys. (See articles regarding earth movement in this region by B. F. Taylor
in Proceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, vol. 48, 1897; by G. K.
Gilbert in the 18th Annual Report of the U. S. Geological Survey, etc.) The land south of Hudson
Bay is now higher than when lirst records were made. The preglacial elevation of the Saguenay
region, Canada, appears from the depth of its fiord to have been at one time at least one thousand feet
higher than now. The depth of the submarine fiord at the mouth of the Hudson River indicates that
the vicinity of New York and Philadelphia at one time stood two thousand and eight hundred feet above
the present sea level, and that they afterward sank sixteen hundred feet. See the Appendix to The Ice
Age in North America by G. Frederick Wright, 1891; American Journal of Science, June. 18R,i. For
account of remarkable upliftings of land in Europe, see Prof. James Geikie's Prehistoric Europe,

PREGLACIAL DRAINAGE CHANNELS. 11

earth and into the underlying rocks before sufficient and satisfactory
evidence regarding this subject can be accumulated. The discovery of
large quantities of Petroleum in the southern part of the Basin, and the
impetus thereby given to well-drilling, has opened up the subject of
such early or pre-glacial drainage and its deep-channel erosions, in a
most interesting way by demonstrating the fact of a deeply eroded
channel in the rocks underlying Shelby, Auglaize and Mercer Counties,
Ohio, and Adams, Jay and Blackford Counties, Indiana. ' This deep
channel probably has further extensions to be determined in the future;
and other like channels will doubtless be discovered, and it is hoped
that most careful observations will be noted at every opportunity. The
northern branch of this buried channel is found at Anna south of Wapa-
koneta, with depth of five hundred and fourteen feet below the surface
of the ground, and in places about three hundred and seventy feet
deeper than the upper face of the rock within a mile to the north and
south of the channel. A southern branch exists a little west of Berlin.
Following their course northwestwardly, they are found to unite
under the large Canal Reservoir in Mercer County, and thence to continue
as one channel northward to Rockford on the St. Mary River, thence west
into Adams County, Indiana, thence southwest, crossing under the
Wabash River at about a right angle, and under Geneva, and thence
near Pennville, and on to near the center of Blackford County where a
tributary is received. The rock floor of this channel varies from about
fifty feet below the present water level of Lake Erie to something over
one hundred feet below in the channel's western explored part. There
may be several causes for the variation of this channel's apparent bed.
Rocks carried before the glacier the detritus of which filled this channel,
may have been taken as its true bottom; something of a pothole may-
have been entered by the drill in other parts, or a fissure of the dis-
turbed strata; or the floor of the channel mav have been unevenly
raised or depressed by the changes of the earth's crust. The walls of
this channel are generally sloping; but the drill discovered a nearU'
vertical wall near the City of St. Marys. The width of the channel
could be only approximately determined by the places drilled; but it
appears to be about one mile — with no place narrower than three-
quarters of a mile — and widening to one mile and a half under the Grand
Reservoir and at Rockford. The erosion of this channel at Anna
extends entirely through the Niagara and Clinton Limestones, and into
the Medina or Hudson Shales. t

*See the article on "A Deep Pre-Glacial Channel in Western Ohio and Eastern Indiana." by J. A.
Bownocker. in The American Geologist for March. 1899, vol. xsiii. page 178. Also the pamphlet
entitled The Preglacial Drainage of Ohio, Special" Print No. 3, Ohio State Academy of Science,
December, 1900.

t For mention of buried river channels in other parts of Ohio, see the Geological Survey of Ohio,
volumes i and ii.

18 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

This ancient water-way bears evidence of long-time erosion by a
considerable stream of rapid flowing water, and some data has been
adduced indicating that this was the ancient channel of the Kanawha
River. Water well drilling indicate.s a similar channel in the rock in
Delaware Township, Defiance County.*

The depth of soil accumulated within the territory of the present
Maumee River Basin in preglacial times, by the decomposition of the
rock surface from water, frost, sun, wind and other of Nature's agencies,
and the full character and extent of vegetable and animal life that existed
here during those long periods of time, will never be known.

In the Quarternary or Post Tertiary Period, a most remarkable and
important change occurred which again subjected different, and some-
what variant, parts of the earth's crust to like geologic conditions.
This Basin, in common \\ ith the northern and southwestern jiarts of Ohio,

Glacial Groovinyb in the Bed Rock of Kelley Island. Lake Erie. This small part, with uverlying
Drift, was saved from Rock Quarriers by the Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland. Ohio.

many other parts of North America, and of the Eastern Continent, was
overrun by heavy masses of ice. There is abundant evidence of this
powerful ice invasion in the vast quantities of finely ground and mixed
rock material of different kinds, in scratchings and groovings still
existing in the rock floor, in the presence of scattered granite, igneous,
or archaean boulders which are foreign to all rocks native to Ohio, yet
exposed as shown on the Chart facing page 7. These erratic, lost, or

* Persons desiring to study the effects of lon^; continued action of water, and weather, on rocks
should visit the plateau and canyons of the Colorado River, in Arizona. Before makini: this visit one
should read Explorations of the Colorado River of the West, by Messrs. Ives and Newberry. 1861 ; Ex-
ploration of the Colorado River of the West, by ]. W. Powell, K7^: and Tertiary History of the Grand
Canyon of the Colorado, by Captain Dutton in Monograph II U. S. Geological Survey. 1883. Also The
Preglacial Drainage of Ohio. Special Paper No. 3, Ohio State Academy of Science, December. 1900,

GLACIAL CROOVINGS AND GLACIAL EPOCHS.

foreign boulders are recosnized as haviny; been transported hundreds
of miles from the north and northeast. The most extensive and
remarkable groovings yet found in the rocks near this Basin, evidenc-
ing movement of a glacier bearing hard rocks firmly embedded in its
substance, is on Kelly Island in Lake Erie. But a small section of
these groovings has been preserved bv the Western Reserve Historipal
Society, Cleveland, from the destructive hands of rock quarriers. These
deep and extensive grooves may have been partlv formed by water
erosions, and the effects of the glaciers were to enlarge, mold and

Glacial Grooves in Granite Buulilei in lii^^h Channel ot Mauniee River. Detiance County. Ohio.
Lookins southeast. 18th October, 1901.

polish them to produce the remarkable result shown in the accompany-
ing engraving. Numerous other scratchings of less depth and extent,
and with varying bearings, have been exposed in the rock floor in dif-
ferent parts of the Basin; and many of the erratic boulders found above
and within the ground-up mixed drift, still bear evidence of the great
grindings and scratchings to which they were subjected.

Six Glacial Epochs, with alternating Interglacial Epochs, charac-
terize the past glacial succession. Ice Period or Age, of Europe.*

* The Great Ice Age. by James Geikie. 3rd Edition. 189fi. pace 607. In the United States Geolog-
ical Survey. Monograph XLI. Washinnton. 19('2. Eleven Epochs or Stages of the Glacial Period are
enumerated as having occurred in and surrounding this Basin.

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

These are evidenced by different glacial groovins's in the rocks,
water channel erosions between layers, changes in flora and fauna
according to the alternations of climate shown in buried forests and
animal remains in varying strata, peat bogs, etc. American geologists
are not entirely agreed regarding the number and character of the
Glacial Epochs in North America, particularly regarding the time and
extent of deglaciation in the interglacial epoch or epochs. The
area covered by the ice is vast, and the field work has been limited.
More time must be given to active workers in which to accumulate and
fully consider the evidences found in all parts of the glaciated area.
Much has already been accomplished, however, in a general way, and
careful work has been done in some local areas. The following group-
ings of Glacial Epochs, by Prof. T. C. Chamberlin,"^ embrace different
interpretations entertained by experienced geologic field workers who
believe in the differentiation of the Glacial Drift series. The upper
layer, at least, of the Drift in the Maumee River Basin has been
assigned to a dependency, glacial lobe, or retreatal oscillations, of the
Wisconsin stage, reference to which will be again made :

FIRST GROUPING ON A TWOFOLD BASIS

Unknown

1. Concealed under-series (theoretical)

2. Kansan stage of glaciationt

3. First interval of deglaciation

4. East-Iovvan stage of glaciation

5. Second interval of deglaciation

6. East-Wisconsin stage of glaciation

7. Retreatal oscillations of undetermined importance

■ Early glacial epoch

Chief interglacial epoch

- Later glacial epoch

Glacial
Pkriod

SECOND GROUPING ON A TWOFOLD BASIS.

1. Concealed under-series (theoretical)

2. Kansan stage of glaciation

3. First interval of deglaciation

4. East-Iowan stage of glaciation

5. Second interval of deglaciation

6. East-Wisconsin stage of glaciation

7. Retreatal oscillations of undetermined importance

Unknown

Earlj' glacial epoch

Chief interglacial epoch

(- Later glacial epoch

Glacial

PlililOD

GROUPING ON A THREEFOLD BASIS.

L Concealed under-series (theoretical).

2. Kansan stage of glaciation.

3. First interval of deglaciation.

4. East-Iowan stage of glaciation.
5.* Second interval of deglaciation.

6. East-Wisconsin stage of glaciation.

7. Later oscillations of undetermined

importance.

Unknown.
First (represented) glacial epoch
First interglacial epoch
Second glacial epoch
Second interglacial epoch
Third ylacial epoch
embracing possibly
a fourth glacial epoch

Glacial
PkuK)d.

* The Great Ice Age. by James Geikie, pages 773 and 774.

t This first stage is. probably, more properly termed the Illinoian. It reached its most southern
limit in that State. See T. C. Chamberlin's article in the Journal of Geology, vol. iv, ISOG. pa^es
872 to 876.

THE ICE AGE IN AMERICA AND ITS CAUSE. 21

The general conclusions regarding the Ice Age in America and
Europe, harmonize, and the above grouping of the ice period in
America on a three-fold basis runs quite closely parallel to the evidences
of successive stages of glaciation apparent in Europe. In both coun-
tries the maximum glaciation, in extent, occurred at an early stage of
the Period. "^

Louis Agassiz, late of Cambridge, Massachusetts, was the first to
announce a past Glacial Period in geologic history. This he did be-
fore the Helvetic Society of Natural History in 1837. In 1840 he pre-
sented the subject before the British Association for the Advancement
of Science and, later in the same year, before the Geological Society of
London. Since that time geologists have generally agreed regarding
the former existence of such Period in parts of the earth which have
long since been of temperate climate, and been sustaining large popu-
lations. Professor Edward Hitchcock, in April, l841,t was the first in
America to accept and apply the glacial theory to the Eastern United
States.

There have been, however, diversity of opinions regarding the
cause of the climate that jiroduced the glaciers that overran these
regions. That eminent English geologist, Sir Charles Lvell| advanced
the theory of changes in the distribution of land and water, and eleva-
tion of great expanses of land at or toward the North Pole, as the
cause of glaciers. Sir John Herschel in 1832, M. Adhemar in 1840,
and notably Doctor James Croll in 1864, suggested astronomic causes
for the variations in glacier accumulations and dissipations. The ele-
vation of the Northern lands that was in progress during the Tertiary
era is naturally a favorite theory with geologists in general in explan-
ation of the cause of the great glaciers that overran Ohio and other
States ; and adherents to the theor\- have probably been increasing in
number during late years that oscillations of the earth's surface was the
chief cause of the oscillations of these glaciers.il Doctor James Croll, §
Professor James Geikie,! and Sir Robert Ball,*"^ hold that it is more
probable that the relative changes in the land and sea level were due to
the alternate appearance and disappearance of the great snow-fields

* The Great Ice Age. bj' James Geikie, pape 774.

t In his address as retiring President at the second annual ineetine of the Association of American
Geologists and Naturalists, held in Philadelphia.

t Principles of Geology. 1830, chapters vii and viii. and Elements o; Geology, sixth edition. 1868,
chapters xi and xii.

II See the Ice Age of North America, third edition. 1891, by G. Frederick Wright; also his smaller
book on Man and the Glacial Period, second edition, 1896. D. Appleton & Co., New York.

§ In his books on Climate and Time, and Climate and Cosmology.

1i The Great Ice Age. third edition, 1896.

** The Cause of an Ice Age. 1897. D. Appleton & Company, publishers.

22 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

and ice-coverings ; that it is improbable that such vast portions of the
earth's crust were uplifted thousands of feet and equally depressed
again and again with sufficient frequency to account for the complex
alternation of cold and warm ejiochs, as is shown to have been the case
by the northern deposits of southern marine and other animal life, and
the growth of forests, during the interglacial epochs. In brief, their
theory is that the climatic changes of the glacial epochs resulted from
the combined influence of the precession of the equinoxes and secular
changes in the eccentricity of the earth's orbit.

According to the theory and comimtations of Doctor Croll, the last
great cvcle of eccentricity, to which he assigned the Glacial Period, be-
gan about 2-40,000 year? ago and lasted 160,000 years, thus terminating
about 80,000 years ago for the more strongly contrasted glacial and
interglacial epochs. Others have varied but little from these computa-
tions. G. K. Gilbert, G. Frederick Wright, Warren Upham and others
incline to the opinion, however, that the last ice sheet disappeared from
the lower lake region about six thousand to ten thousand years ago,
judging from the Niagara River Gorge, other gorges, the character of
certain glacial deposits, etc.; and that this recent time, together with
the want of evidence of glaciation in the Tertiary and former Eras,
militates against the astronomic theory of causation. Sir Robert Ball,
on the other hand, exploits the astronomic theory as the most complete
explanation of the cause and, in corroboration, advances an accurate
law' by which the distribution and retention of heat is regulated in the
alternation of climatic zones between the earth's hemispheres. By this
law he 'corrects and supplements' the theories of Sir John Herschel
and Doctor James Croll. None of the more definite, and more exclus-
ive, theories of causation, however, have fully borne the test of general
consideration. It is probable that the various elements affecting
climate, geographic, atmospheric and astronomic, are so well balanced
that untoward influences affecting and holding a comparatively slight
change or maladjustment might produce serious climatic effects, even
to a period of ice in our present temperate zone.*

All agree that a simple low temperature will not produce a glacier.
Snow in great quantity is necessary for such formation; in addition to
the shortened summer and increased length of winter there was a cold
under-current of air passing from North to South, and currents of
warmer, mist-laden upper strata of air passing from the South to the
North, causing an unusually great amount of snow — a quantity in ex-
cess of melting power of the sun, but which melted sufficiently during
the short summer of each year to aggregate the glaciers, and this great

* See Professor Herman L. Fairchild's Address, Proceedings of the Amerioan Association for the
Advancement of Science. 1898. vol. xlvii, pate 270 et sequentia.

THE GLACIATED AREA AND ITS SOUTH LINE. 23

amount of moisture thus congealed on the land, produced a change in
the ocean level by depressing the land or attracting the ocean from
southern latitudes, or both. Great accumulation of snow and ice from
its partial melting and its weight, has been in progress towards the
South Pole for many years, and theories of grave results to present
temperate latitudes have been adduced therefrom.

The area covered by these ice sheets is, in North America, about
four million square miles, and in Europe about one-half this extent.
Beginning in Labrador and south of Ffudson Bay, as probable chief
centers of the American ice distribution, the general course of the prin-
cipal glaciating mass was to the south and east in the Eastern States,
extending as far south as Long Island, to New York City, then the
extreme southern limit in the East, excepting narrow extensions down
drainage channels, and assuming a general northwesterly course through
New Jersey and Pennsylvania to near Southwestern New York, thence
in a general southwesterly course through Pennsylvania and the south-
ern edge, ranging through Ohio near Canton, Danville, Newark, Chilli-
cothe and Winchester to near the Ohio River, which is crossed from
Clermont County; thence extending near this river to Cincinnati, thence
southwest in a varying line which is crossed and recrossed by the Ohio,
to near Louisville, where the boundary turns to the northward at about
a right angle and extends to within a few miles of Indianapolis, where
it again turns to the southwest, crossing the Wabash River at New
Harmony into Illinois and reaching the most southern limit about fifty
miles north of Cairo, whence it again turns to the northwest, extending
nearlj- parallel to the Mississippi River and a few miles distant from it,
to within a few miles of St. Louis, where it crosses this river and ex-
tends westward along or within a few miles of the Missouri River, en-
tering Kansas a little south of Kansas City and continuing nearly west
a hundred miles to near Topeka, thence northward across Nebraska
approximating the Missouri River, and crossing the south line of South
Dakota near the mouth of the Niobrara River, thence along the west
bank of the Missouri to the mouth of the Cheyenne River, and thence
westward.*

The marks of the glacier, and rocks transported by it, are found
near, if not quite on, the top of Mount Washington, the present high-
est point in New England, 6347 feet above the sea, also at the tops of
the other highest mountains in its course. The question of the force
necessary to propel the ice over these great heights, if they were so
high at the time of the glaciers, and to propel it so far from the north-
ern places of distribution, has given rise to interesting inquiries regard-

* See The Ice Age in North America, by G. F. WriKht, third edition, 1891, page 120 et seq.

24 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

ing the thickness of the ice sheets and the character of the propelling
force. About the year 1861 Professor Louis Agassiz, in a conversation
with Professor J. P. Lesley, stated as his opinion, from studies of the
movements of existing glaciers, that such masses of ice could not go
over a barrier unless its extent above the crest of the barrier be at least
one-half of the height of the barrier.* It is readily seen that moun-
tains which bear on their summits glacial markings or rocks foreign to
the locality, serve as glaciometers, and are among the best means of
approximating the thickness of the ice sheet. This evidence with the
hundreds of miles distance to the terminal moraines and glacial mark-
ings south and west from the northern centers of the glacier distri-
bution, signify a necessary thickness of thousands of feet to the
northern ice. Estimated from slopes of existing glaciers, the thickness
of the glacier over Lake Erie has been computed to have been about
eleven thousand feet, and that part north of Lake Superior thirty thou-
sand feet.t Ice will move of its own weight, and particularly glaciers
composed of crystals or 'glacier-grains' formed as thej' are, from
snow. When the most solid parts of ice are exposed in a glacier to a
peculiarly violent strain, its limited plasticity necessitates the formation
of countless minute rents, and the internally bruised surfaces are forced
to slide over one another, simulating a fluid character in the motion of
the parts so affected. Reconsolidation of the bruised glacial substance
into a coherent whole may be more or less effected by pressure alone
similar to its effect upon granular snow, and upon ice softened by im-
minent thaw into a condition more plastic than ice at lower tempera-
ture.! Doctor Heimll has estimated that the average annual flow of
the glaciers of Switzerland and Norway, and the smallest of the Green-
landic glaciers, ranges between one hundred and thirty and three hun-
dred and thirtj- feet. The great glacial tongues that are protruded from
the inland ice of Greenland move on an average in summer not less
than fifty feet in twenty-four hours with often great declivity to the land
and the open sea as a strong frontal attracting force. In mountainous
countries the movement is accelerated by the declivity. Undoubtedly
the movement of the glaciers that invaded this level region was far
slower than the minimum above given. Doctor Geikie states that 'in
many cases glaciers flow no faster than from three or four to eighteen
inches a day, while in others the rate exceeds four feet in twenty-four
hours.'

* Second Geological Survey oj Pennsylvania, vol. Z. page xiv. Wright's The Ice Age of North
America, pace 167.

"t The Ice Age of North America, 3rd edition, page 173.

* See ]!Lmei D. Forbes' Occasional Papers on the Theory of Glaciers, page svi; The Great Ice
Age. by James Geikie, page 31 ; The Ice Age in North America, by G. F. Wright, etc.

11 Handbuch der Gletscherkunde. quoted in Geikie's The Great Ice Age. page 36.

PHENOMENA ATTENDING MOVEMENT OF GLACIER. 25

The phenomena attending the formation and movements of glaciers
are endowed with several of Nature's laws of great interest. They
have been studied by many geologists and physicists during later years
not only in the effects of the past glaciers, but in the active processes
of existing glaciers in Alaska, Greenland, the Alps, and others. From
these studies we understand that the center for the formation of the
glaciers that overran this region was on the most elevated points to the
north and eastward; that during their formation they became firmly at-
tached to the earth and rocks, which in much of the movements of the
ice worked upward through its heights; that as the ice volume increased
and advanced, filling the valleys and creeping up the hills and moun-
tains, the accumulation of crushed and resisting rocks increased; that

A Front of the Muir Glacier in Alaska a few years asjo. From Gates' Tours.

avalanches from the higher peaks and ridges brought frequent and
material additions of snow, ice, earth and rocks down upon its surface;
that it amassed to thousands of feet in thickness and, with its enor-
mous wxight, it was irresistibly impelled forward, carrying before and
under it ridges and hills of earth; grinding and mixing the softer rocks
into their component parts of lime, sand, gravel and clay; smoothing
and grooving furrows in and by the more solid parts ; filling deep water
ways with this broken and ground material and thus changing the for-
mer drainage systems : creeping up and over the hills and mountains
that withstood its force; dipping and scouring the bed of Lake Erie;
moving along over the rocky elevations to the south and westward and

26 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN. "

leaving in its course a litter of detritus from its mill-like and mixing
action, much being loosened by friction and by the melting of the ice
and by the water that trickled through its crevices, but principally by
the arrest of the glacier's progress and its dissipation by climatic
changes, as the forward part of the glaciers in level regions possessed
the greatest amount of detritus from their plowing and pushing every-
thing movable before them, and from the constant dropping of the ac-
cumulations from the melting ice above.

Ridges of this ground up or transported material left by glaciers
are called Moraines; and it is readily understood from the former state-
ment that, later action of water being equal, the Terminal Moraine or,
rather, the place where the front of the glacier rested the longest,
would be the highest. The last glacier, usually connected with the last
(often called Wisconsin ) stage, that covered the Huron-Erie region
was divided along its southern border into five lobes, tongues or
fingers, which projected from the main mass.* The Western Erie or
Maumee and Wabash lobe, which covered, and formed, the Maumee
River Basin, moved in a southwesterly direction as shown by scratch-
ings and groovings in the bed rocks. Markings of four distinct ice
movementst have been observed on the islands in the west part of
Lake Erie, but only those attributed to the third movement will be
mentioned here, further than a few intersecting. The direction of
these grooves vary somewhat according to the obstructions met and
the flexibility of the ice. The table on opposite page shows location
and direction of the principal groovings observed by members of the
Ohio Geological Corps. +

The Terminal Moraine of this Erie or Maumee Basin Glacier was
thought bv G. K. Gilbert in 1871 to be the St. Joseph-St. Mary
Moraine || shown on the map page 28; but Professor T. C. Chamber-
lin's survey § locates the Terminal Moraine proper, or extreme limit of
this glacial lobe, near the southwestern border of Indiana. The highest
moraines near the Maumee River Basin are those forming its north-
western and western borders, in Hillsdale County, Michigan, and in
Steuben and De Kalb Counties, Indiana. There are in this region a
confusion of moraines from the contact and blending of the northwest
side of the Erie Glacial Lobe with the southeast side of what has been

* These glacial lobes have been yiven the names of the rivers now coursiny most nearly in the
direction of their trend, viz: 1. The Grand and Mahoning at the east; '2. The Sandusky and Scioto; 3.
The Great Miami — all in Ohio; 4. The White River in Indiana, and 5. The Maumee and Wabash. See
T. C. Chamberlin's Preliminary Paper on the Terminal Moraine of the Second Glacial Epoch.

t See The Ice Age in North America. 3rd edition, pages 235, 236.

^ Geological Survey of Ohio. vol. i, pajje 53S: vol. ii, pases 9, 10.

II Geological Survey of Ohio. vol. i, page .542.

S United States Geological Survey, Third Annual Report, pane 291.

GLACIAL MOVEMENT. ANDlMORAINES.

County

Place

Rock

No. OF
Obs.

Bearing

Erie

Kelly Island

Corniferous Limestone

S. 78° W.
S, 80° W.
S. 60° W.

Ottawa

Putin-Bay Island

Waterlime

S. 80° W.

intersecting

S. 15° W.

South Bass Island

Many

S. 80° W.

intersecting

S. 15° W.

West Sister Island

Many

S. 80° W.

intersecting

Lucas

Sylvania

Corniferous

S. 50° W.

Monclova

Waterlime

S. 62° W.

Fish's Quarry

Corniferous

S. 55° W.

Whitehouse

S. 50° W.

Defiance

Ohio Shale

S. 45° W.

Paulding

Junction

Corniferous Limestone

S. 45° W.

Allen

Lima
Amanda

Waterlime

S, 35° W.
S. 35° W.

Van Wert

Middlepoint

S. 15° W.

Hancock

Kindiay

Niagara

S. 45° W.
S. 40° W.

Amanda

S. 33° W.

Putnam

Blanchard

Waterlime

S. 28° W.

Suuar Creel<

S. 50° W.

Auglaize

Corniferous

S. 48° W.

Seneca

Waterlime

S. 23° W.

intersecting

S. 5°E.

Wyandot

Crawford
Crane

1
1

S. 20° W.
S. 5° W.

Marseilles

Niagara

1
1
1

S. 10° W.

S, 10° E.

N. S.

Wood

Portaye

Waterlime

S. 50° W.

Otsego

Corniferous

S. 68° W.
S. 60° W.

OBSERVATIONS OF GLACIAL GROOVINCS IN BED ROCK.

termed the Saginaw Glacial Lobe, thus forming the Erie-Saginaw Inter-
lobate Moraine.* The Saginaw Glacier is recognized as having been
the lesser lobe or edge of these two, and the first to disappear. The
survey of the western and northwestern border of this Basin, shows
considerable complexity in its glaciation. The accompanving map
shows five morainic loops of the Maumee-Wabash Glacial Lobe, divided
into North and South sections by the Maumee River and the Wabash
and its tributaries, viz: the Defiance Moraine, the St. Joseph-St. Marv,
the Wabash-Aboite, the Salamonie and the Mississinewa. The two last
named are so blended in northeastern Indiana with the Saginaw as to

* See the 16lh Report of Indiana Geology, 1888, pages 119.126, and the 17th Report. 181)2 pages
115 lo 118.

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

MAOMEE RIVER BilS

AND ADJACENT WATERSHEDS,
Shuuinc TiiF MORAINES; BEACHES
'■"■; GLACIAL LAKES MACMI
WHITTLHSEY «r, WARREN, ,n>,
DEFIANCE GLACIAL BAY; the DR 4
AG1-. SYSTEM; MILITARY ROADS >
KlRTS.

'|H»: nnUKEis. OTHr-K THAN OATKN, INI.H«
ALTITL)>K> APOVK TIPF WATER.

KNORAvri) FOR Dr. Ciias. K. Slocum's

UlifTORT OF THF MaL-MEK RfVEB B*81M
10113

GLACIAL LAKE MAUMEE AND ITS OUTLETS. 29

be indistinKuishabk- to other than skilled Lclaciaologists. North of
Maumee Bay there are two other moraines extending northward.

It is still an unsettled question whether the different glacial evi-
dences were separated by long intervals of mild climate, marking
distinct glacial epochs, or whether there were a continuity of oscilla-
tions— advances and recessions — of the ice with only a modifiud
glacial climate during its recessions of, perhaps, one, two, three hun-
dred years, or more. Both theories have able advocates..! A further
description of these moraines will be given in the chapters on the
Glacial Drift, and the rivers.

The causes leading to the melting of the glaciers were but the
reversal of the causes that produced them. Theories of the subsidence
or great depression of the glaciated area ( perhaps from the great weight
of the ice ) and theories of ocean elevation, and of astronomic varia-
tions, have been ad\-anced as causes of the modification of the glacial
climate.

Wherever the drainage ways in front of an advancing glacier
were not sufficient at lower levels, bodies of water formed and accumu-
lated in relative quantity from the constant melting of the ice. As the
glacier advanced from the northeast the drainage channels of the areas
of the present great lakes and tributaries, were dammed and the accu-
mulating waters from them, and from the glacier, found outlet through
the preglacial channels to the southward and southwestward. When
the glacier finally stopped on the borders of the present Maumee River
Basin the waters from the melting ice were discharged through the St.
Joseph River which, cutting through the moraines southwestward from
its present mouth, flowed into the Wabash River near Huntington, In-
diana. Other points of discharge were southeastward into the Scioto
River and southward into the Miami. As the glacier receded, by melt-
ing, there was formed between its front and sides and the St. Joseph-
St. Mary Moraines, a body of water which constantly increased in
extent as the ice disappeared. This body of water has been designated
as the Maumee Glacial Lake. It had outlets southeastward through
the Tymochtee Gap, 912 feet above tide water, to the Scioto River ;
southward near Lima and Wapakoneta, at an elevation of about 900
feet and later, at the formation of the River St. Marj- and its junction
with the St. Joseph at P'ort Wayne, southwestward, at present erosion

t For a discussion of the latter theory see The Ice Age in North America. -Srd edition, 1891, and
P4an and the Glacial Period. 2nd edition, 1896, both by G. Frederick Writ;ht. Reparding the former
theory see The Qreat [ce Age in which the author, James Geikie, discusses six distinct glacial epochs
in Europe. In 1899 Dr, Albrecht Penck, in a pamphlet published in Vienna, recognizes four distinct
epochs of placiation in the Alps, instead of three as heretofore recorded. This subject, as well as others
may be found more fully discussed in the proceedings of geological and other scientific societies, and
serial publications, a number of which are referred to by name in this work.

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

level of 767 feet, to the Wabash River: and still later, until the glacial
ice dam melted in the Mohawk River Valley, New York, and in the St.
Lawrence Valley, the drainage of the Maumee Glacial Lake was north-
ward to the Thumb of Michigan, and thence southwestward south of
Saginaw Bay, at an altitude of something over 700 feet above tide
water, through the Grand River to Lake Michigan, and thence through
the Illinois River to the Mississippi.

With the melting of the ice the great number of granitic boulders,
large and small, the immense quantity of finely ground rock material
of different kinds, forming clay, gravel, sand, and lime, and all
kinds of debris and detritus that had been received and gathered in
its course, became liberated to settle to the bottom of the water or

'^^^8

■ -i ■

'*^^^^

/A idy

I^bH

^^w*~ • '

* ' '^^

I'ehance Glacial Bay Beach in Foret;rouii(l, and Crest of Dehance Moraine in the liistance. Look-
ing east, 24th October, 1902, in Richland Township, three miles east of the Defiance Court House, and
one mile south of the Maumee Water Gap. A very fertile country.

drifted to the shores. Iceliergs and icefloes were broken from the
glacier b\' the processes of fissuring and undermining, and either soon
became fixed on the bottom to melt and deposit their loads of earthy
material in a limited area, or were drifted about to its wider disperse-
ment. The Maumee Glacial Lake gradually subsided into the present
Lake Erie.

As the lake level declined the waters of the Rivers St. Joseph
and St. Mary followed the receding lake, thus originating and forming
the Maumee River. Following its continued recession the Defiance
Mcwaine became the western and southwestern shore of the Maumee
Glacial Lake, leaving to the westward and southward a baj-, named
Defiance Glacial Bay in the year 1899 by Frank Leverett assistant in
the United States Geological Survey, at the suggestion of Charles E.
Slocum of Defiance. This Bav in its full e.xtent was about 1100

DEFIANCE BAY. LAKES WHITTLESEY AND WARREN. 31

square miles in area, somewhat crescentic in form with its north and
south points and concave shore lines to the eastward, with altitude of
near 170 feet above the present level of Lake Erie, and 743 feet above
the sea. Much of its shore lines may now be seen with more or less
distinctness at or near the following named places : Beginning at
Ayersville, five miles southeast of Defiance and at the Bay's principal
connection with the receding Lake Whittlesey, and extending north-
ward along the convex west side of the Defiance Moraine to
Archbold, Fulton Count}', Ohio, the most northerlj' point ; thence
irregularly in a general southwesterly course along the slope east of
Bryan, Williams County, and of Hicksville, Defiance Countv, to
Antwerp, Paulding County, where it turns southeast to Scott, and
near Delphos, Allen County, thence in a curving northeasterly course
to near Columbus Grove and Pandora, Putnam County, thence north
to Leipsic and Belmore, and thence northwest through Henry County
to the mouth of the Bay opposite Ayersville. Its deepest part was at
Defiance. Four lake beaches have been noted in this Basin by G. K.
Gilbert,* by whom it was first surveyed. The first beach, the western
shore of Glacial Lake Maumee, marks a water level of 220 feet above
the present level of Lake Erie ; the second at 195 feet, and the third
at 170 feet, being the level of Defiance Glacial Bay, and Lake Whittle-
sey on the east side of the Defiance Moraine. The fourth beach lines
record a slow descent from the eastern shore of Lake Warren, 90 feet
to 65 and 60 feet above the fifth beach or present shore of Lake Erie,
which is recorded as 573 feet above tide water.

With the subsidence of the glacier and its waters, the Maumee
River Basin became defined; and it was quite well drained before the
present Niagara River had origin. It was not until the breaking away
of the glacial ice dams in the Mohawk River Valley, and in the valley
of the St. Lawrence River, and the settling of Lake Ontario below
the level of the land thirty-eight feet above the present Lake Erie, that
the Niagara River began to form a channel; and as that level of Lake
Ontario subsided, the Falls of Niagara had a beginning at the escarp-
ment of Lewiston. With the erosions of the overlying till and the
softer underlying eighty feet of shale, the upper eighty feet of lime-
stone was undermined and broken to fall in fragments and be carried
down the channel by the increasing height and force of the Falls and
current. Thus the Falls receded and the Gorge was formed accord-
ingly. This Niagara Gorge has been recognized by geologists for
several years as the best practical measure of the time that has elapsed
since the subsidence of the glacial waters that is convenient for their

' Ohio Geological Survey, vol. i. page 549. Also see Map. page 28.

62 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

studv. From the studies given to the erosions by the Falls, diverse
opinions have, however, been advanced. R. Bakewell, jr., in the j-ear
1H29, after consulting residents of the vicinity of forty years duration,
estimated the recession of the Falls at three feet a year. E. Desor
later estimated the recession as probably nearer three feet a century
than three feet a year, making the time for the wearing of the Gorge
1,232,000 years. Prof. James D. Dana* estimated the more probable
time as 380,000 years. Sir Charles Lyellt concluded that ' the aver-
age of one foot a year would be a much more probable conjecture' or
35,000 years. American geologists of later years have, also, variously
read this chronometer, some deducing a period of time for the erosion
as low as 7000 years, while Professor James W. Spencer in 1894,
sums up the time necessary for this stupendous work of water at 32,000
j-ears. In this estimation it is necessary to take into account different
facts and agencies once potent, but not now apparent in the local
stud\'. There was far more moisture in the air and the ground, for-
merly than now, and then for a long period (estimated by Professor
Spencer at over 17,000 years) the upper lakes were drained through
Georgian Bay and the French River to the Ottawa and St. Lawrence,
and onl}' about three-elevenths of their water passed through Lake
Erie and over Niagara Falls. It is, also, probable that more water
passed over the Falls during the Champlain periodll than at present.
And again, little of definite evidence has been obtained regarding the
extent of the preglacial erosions above the occluded whirlpool channel
and their effect on the present erosions. In this connection it is inter-
esting to note that N. H. Winchell's studies of the post glacial erosion
of the Falls of St. Anthony, Minnesota, have led him to the opinion
that it has required a period of 8000 years for the results there shown.
The Ohio River is a preglacial stream, with its present bed at least one
hundred and fifty feet above its preglacial bed, the channel having
been much filled during the glacial period and since then eroded, in a
somewhat wandering course to the present level. The trough of the
Ohio River affords interesting opportunity for further study in this
inquiry, and in fluvial history. S

* Manual of Geology. 2nd edition, 1875. pane 591. Dr. Dana, in his last (4th) edition, 1896, con-
tents himself with quotinK the deductions of later ceoloirists, and inclining to lower estimates than
formerly.

t Travels in North America, vol. i, pace 32; vol. ii, pace 93; Principles of Geology, vol. i, page
358.

II See Geological Chart, facing page 7.
% See Geological Survey of Ohio. vol. ii, page 13.

A writer in McClure's Magazine for .August, 190', vol. xvii, page 304, estimates the age of tho
earth in vears, counting from the surface downward so far as known, as follows :
• Recent, Post Glacial, and Glacial . 500.000

Pliocene, Miocene, Eocene .... 2.8tX*,000

Chalk, Jura, Trias 14,300.000 (Continued on

Permian, Cambrian, Laurentian . . 100,000,000 page 55.)

BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF THE GLACIERS. 33

It is to the Glaciation and the Drift or Glacial Till that this Basin,
in common with other glaciated regions, is indebted for its admirable
topography, from an agricultural and commercial standpoint, and for
its variety of fertile soils. Its study in connection with unglaciated
regions will place this highly favored Basin in pleasing contrast. The
more uneven parts of Southeastern Ohio and contiguous parts of West
Virginia, Kentucky and Pennsylvania, that are south of the glaciers'
course, although interesting in their relation to this subject, do not
afford, in their additional geologic strata and their relation to the Appa-
lachian chains of mountains, good illustrations of the topography that
would now be exhibited in this region but for the mountains of ice that
were moved over it. There is a limited unglaciated area embracing the
northwestern part of Illinois, the northeastern part of Iowa, and the
southeastern part of Minnesota, which presents in comparison with
contiguous and other glaciated regions of these States, excellent illus-
trations of the great benefit now being derived from the results of the
glaciers. Notwithstanding the fact that the ice passed around the cor-
ners of the three States here mentioned, an area of several hundred
square miles in extent, and for several hundred miles beyond it,
there are no well marked evidences of glaciation within its borders, nor
of till, to obscure the contrast with other parts of those States; but it
did receive a flow of loess or porous clay rich in carbonate of lime,
from one of the later sheets of ice drift thus being modified, and im-
proved, by the near passing of the glacier.

Although the diggings and borings through the Till with careful
notings, have not been numerous enough thus far to demonstrate the
system of preglacial drainage, it is probable that this Basin, being the
first of its vicinity elevated above the sea and therefore the oldest on
the surface in its preglacial history, became deeply and sharply chan-
neled in the rock by the larger streams, and latterall}' by their tribu-
taries. Gorges of great breadth and depth must have abounded in the
rock beside multitudinous and diverse inequalities from the unequal
decomposition and wear of the layers of varied and varying degrees of
hardness of the rocks, by the rains, the drouths, the sun, the freezings,
the thawings and by the floods. There were not only rugged cliffs
abutting the streams and their vallevs, but narrow gorges, isolated high

Still greater length of time has elapsed, in the estimation of others. See McClure's Magazine for
I October. 1900. vol. xv, page 514.

"On the contrary, the present tendency both among astronomers and geologists, is to diminish
estimates of geological time in almost every period. The hundreds of millions of years claimed not
long ago as necessary for the deposition and metamorphism of geological strata, and for the elevating and
eroding forces to produce the present contour of the earth's surface have on geological evidence, been
reduced to much more moderate limits. Thirty million years is now shown to be ample for the deposi.
tion. by forces still in operation, of all the sedimentary strata of which we have knowledge." The Icq
Age of North America, by G. F. Wright. D. Appleton & Co., .Srd ed. page 449,

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

points of harder rock, and a general ruggedness throughout the entire
surface. The comparative short time that has elapsed since the melt-
ing of the last glacier has sufficed for our sluggish streams to erode
considerable valleys through the Glacial Drift, and, in many places,
through the shale and several feet into the rock. The far greater
length of the preglacial time during which the rocks were probably ex-
posed to the changes mentioned above, must have resulted in producing
a topography rougher than our imaginations can well portray it. Trav-
eling" across such an irregularly eroded region, if possible, would be

Glaciated Granite Boulders in ilicll channel of Mamnee River, south part of Section :il', Noble
Township, Defiance County, Ohio. Looking eastward, IHth October, 1901. This reyion, and the low
channel half a mile below, afford the best display of such boulders in tlie lart;er streams of the Maumee
River Basin. Small and more or less polished pieces are found alontr all streams.

attended with at least many difficulties and inconveniences. Tlie way
would be verv tortuous and exhausting from man}- descendings and as-
cendings, and with many bridgings of chasms. Cultivation of the soil,
where possible, would be in restricted areas, uncertain on account of
the drouths, and laborious to prevent undue washings of the soil in wet
seasons. The glaciers were like huge planes in their effects, leveling '
the high points, pushing everything breakable and movable before
them, or crushing, grinding and triturating all between the basic rocks
and the ice floors studded with granitic and softer rocks, and leaving
all the old channels filled that were not otherwise obliterated. Here

THE GLACIAL DRIFT DEPOSITS OR TILL.

was the comminuting and commingling processes of the different rocks
— of the argillaceous, the limestones, the feldspars of the granites
with, generally, just enough of their silica to preserve the good degree
of congruitv that distinguishes much of the inexhaustible soil of this

Basm. 1113275

During the melting of the glaciers and the deposition of the Drift,
the effect of water was great upon the superglacial and englacial Till ;
and the subglacial was more or less washed and reasserted in the loca-
tions of subglacial streams of water. Above the First Beach, west

Looking do^vn the Auylaize River in Jackson Township. Putnam County, Oliio, :28tli May. 19lt2, in
low stage of water. The Corniferous Limestone Boulder seen beyond the boat is the largest seen in
the river channels of the Basin. Before it was drilled and blasted into three pieces a few years ai,'0.
its height above the ground was fifteen feet.

and northwest particularly, Erie Clay still lies in undulations, un-
changed only by subsecjuent natural washings, showing that the
Maumee Glacial Lake, if it really covered this region following the
subsidence of the glacier, must have soon receded to the First Beach,
a distance in some places of twenty miles with a fall of about two
hundred feet. The glacial deposits within the beach lines were sub-
jected to great and continued washings by which there was much of
sortings, rearrangings and levelings of the inequalities. The present
surface is largely independent of the underlying native rock surface,
which is of itself irregular and the thickness of the Drift varying from

36 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

nothing to 550 feet, varies both from irregularity of its deposition and
irregularity of its sulisequent washings. The chief constituent of the
Drift is a finely laminated clay, the Erie Clay of the earlier geologists,
containing generally more or less sand, gravel and boulders. The
latter are of various kinds and sizes up to twenty feet in diameter,
many of them being smoothed on one side and showing straight and
nearlv parallel scratches received from their fellows during the move-
ments of the glaciers. The channels of the larger rivers afford the
best exhibition of these boulders, though some fields contain occasional
outcroppings of them. The Drift or Till is best seen, for study of its
irregularlv stratified and specially washed conditions, in the precipitous
banks of the rivers and in the deeper and more extensive cuttings for
private and public works. Examination of a goodly number of small
stones found in different later washings and in different parts of the Till,
leads to the conclusion that the Laurentian rocks ( metamorjihic rocks,
those intruded or foreign to Ohio in their origin and brought by the
glaciers) are most numerous in the upper portions of the Drift, and the
sedimentary rocks (of the character of those native to this Basin) pre-
dominate in the lower portions, while the middle portion exhibits a
more even division of both kinds.'

Flowing water is the best of separators. Wave action sejiarated
the sand and cast much of it upon the shores of the glacial lakes and
ba\s. The finer material of the Drift, generally free from sand and
much of it known as Lacustrine Clay, settled to the bottom and now
forms the level country between the ridges or lake and bay beaches.

Another form of clay, more delicately assorted, is found in defined
areas, of considerable extent. Its character is attractive on account of
its smooth and unctious surface when cut with a sharp instrument; its
compactness, being susceptible of a glass-like polish; its great tenacity
when wet to a certain consistency ; and its impalpableness, being suit-
able as a fine polishing agent. Its color is generally light gray, dark-
ening a little on exposure to the air. This is of the finest comminutions
of the glacial grindings. Its chemic composition is quite like that of
the coarser sediment above mentioned, viz: Silica 37.32 per cent;
Alumina 29.85; Calcium carbonate 15.00; Combined water 11.47;
Ferric oxid 4.52; and Magnesium carbonate 1.84 per cent. (Dryer).

The Till, or Drift in general, is often peculiar in its arrangement,

* The erratic stones, or those brought from a trreat distance from the north and east by the glaciers
and distributed here, are denominated chlorite schist, 'inartzite ( of which there are white, gray and
flesh colored), Kneiss (in color eray to pink, with less mica than hornblende \ and greenstone. Those
belonging to the Ohio column of rocks have been detached from the upper layers, including the Ohio
Shale with varying size nodules of crude iron pyrites, or iron sulphid, Corniferous Limestone with some
chert or impure flint, Waterlime near and below its exposures, and some Sylvania Sandstone near the
Michigan line in Lucas County, Ohio. See Geologic Chart, pag-e 7.

MORAINES. LATERAL. INTERLOBATE AND TERMINAL. 57

affording cause for several tfieories regarding tfie mode of its deposi-
tion, none of which is entirely satisfactory to all geologists.

Several haltings of the Maumee-Wabash (lobe of the last) Glacier
are marked by Moraines within, bordering on, and near to the southern
and western sides of this Basin. These several Moraines were probably
each deposited by the glacier, not altogether in its advance movement
but when arrested in its recession by melting by a return for a time of
the glacial climate. This being the opinion, they will be mentioned in
the order of their formation from the west towards the east. The
Mississinewa Moraine lies along the right ( north ) bank of the river of
like name, and the Salamonie Moraine along the right bank of the
river of its name. North of the Wabash River these two moraines are

Luokint; soulh of west, 8th June, 1902. across the Valleys of Little River and of the Wabash one-
half mile above their junction, from the slope of the Wabash Aboite Moraine to the Salamonie Moraine,
See Map, pa^ie '2H. This was the great early drainakre channel of the Maumee Glacial Lake.

intimately blended with a moraine of the Saginaw Glacial Lobe, thus
exhibiting a confused Interlobate Moraine. The culmination of this
impingement and blending is seen at the head of James Lake in
Jamestown Township, Steuben County, Indiana, and eastward there-
from for twenty miles. The United States surveying corps erected a
column near the northeastern angle of this high point, the ground
having an altitude here of 114L5 feet above the sea — it being about
the highest point in Indiana; and northeast in Hillsdale Countv, Mich-
igan, near Reading, is the highest point in the lower peninsula of
Michigan. The Grass Lake region to the west of these points is
thought to mark the boundary between the Mississinewa and the Sag-
inaw Moraines, but no distinctness exists. The western slope of this
Interlobate Moraine drains into the St. Joseph River of Lake Michigan,
and the eastern slope north of Allen County, Indiana, drains into the

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

St. Joseph River of the Maumee Basin. The next moraine to the
eastward is the Wabash-Aboite Moraine, lying along the north (right)
bank of the headwaters of the Wabash 'River and, from St. Marys,
Ohio, northwestward, forming the southwestern boundary of the
Maumee River Basin. North of Fort Wayne this moraine lies west of
the St. Joseph River into which it drains. The most prominent parts
of the Wabash-Aboite Moraine are near the line between Hillsdale and
Branch Counties, Michigan, and the two tiers of the eastern townships

The Crest of Moraine dividing the Headwaters of llie River St. Joseph of the Maumee from those
of the St. Joseph of Lake Michit'an, between Hillsdale Cit,v and Bankers Villat-e. Michiiian, Lookjnii
soiitltwest, 6th June, 1902. In addition to the Stone Fence alone the Public Hiyhway in tlie foretiround.
two others are seen dividint; the fields in the distance. These fences are composed of t'ranite boulders
fathered from the Glacial Till here. A small section of country here and another in Steuben County.
Indiana, are the only parts of this Basin where such Stones can be found in sufficient quantities for
fences.

of Steuben County, Indiana. The irregularity and variety of the
physical features of these chief morainic regions invest them with much
of beauty and charm. The numerous lakes — over one hundred on the
map of Steuben County alone — varying in size, depth and setting, and
abounding with fish of good quality, often with good bottoms for bath-
ing, with pure atmosphere and wholesome material surroundings,
make this otherwise interesting morainic region a healthful and choice
summer resort which will become more and more appreciated as the
years go by.

FORMATION AND OBLITERATION OF GLACIAL LAKES. 39

These lakes resulted from the irregular depositions of the glacial
clay till, leaving ridges and depressions. Where the till or wash was
of a gravelly or sandy character, permitting the waters of wet season
to percolate, the depressions are dry. Occasionally kettle holes' or
drv, round holes are seen."^ One th<*ory of their formation is the
grounding of clear icebergs or fragments of the glacier, and the wash-
ing" and forming of the gravel and sand around them to so remain
after the melting of the ice. The obliteration of glacial ponds and
lakes of clav or non-leaking bottoms bv washings, bv the encroachmt'nt

ll.

^^mm^^:^^

JSk^. .„_

r^^tijMiii

- " 1. 1 .•■ •■■' ■■ ■" '.'',■■■

L. -'^-i-^^

-' .1

lEUH^HHH^^^BK.

A Vicnv of Commingled Moraines June tUli, 11HI2, lonkinn noitli in the nnrtluvest ]iat t nf \'o[-k Tuwn-
sliip, Steuben County, Indiana. The tree at the Crest to the right of the Road, one and three-fourths
miles distant, is at Page Postofifice. beyond which the drainage is into the River St. Joseph of Lake
Michigan.

and decay of vegetation and the formation of peat, with other of
Nature's accumulations, is a subject of interesting study. The moraines
}'et afford many instructive illustrations of Nature's ways of forming,
and reforming, such features of the earth. The last stage of such lakes
is often a cranberry marsh or a tamarack swamp. The areas of differ-
ent lakes are now undergoing the final stages of transformation into
excellent farms in Farmer and Milford Townships, Defiance Countv,
Ohio. In some of these small lakes of great depth, a great length of

* Kettle holes may yet be seen in the St. Joseph Moraine, particularly in the southwestern part of
Williams County. Ohio.

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

time is necessary for the solidifying by nature's process of the deep
strata of the filling. The companies building railways over and along
these moraines have encountered 'sink holes' which required great
quantities of gravel and earth to be deposited for the necessary stability
of the tracks. The builders of the Baltimore & Ohio Railway through
Eastern Indiana, met with such difficulty in 1873, those of the Wabash
Railway near Montpelier, Ohio, in 1901, and the other companies were
anno}'ed more or less at the time of their building. It has even been
thought necessary to change the line and build on one side of the
sink hole.'

The first moraine fully within this Basin, and which has been
probabh' improperly called the Terminal Moraine, is the St. Mary-

Clear Lake, Clear Lake Townsliip. Steuben County, Indiana. Looking north of west 6th June,
1902, in the rain. There are summer hotels on the Commin^jled Moraine of the distant shore.

St. Joseph Moraine, lying along the right (north) bank of the River St.
Mary, and along the left (south) bank of the River St. Joseph. In
Hillsdale, and part of Lenawee County, Michigan, it is blended with
the Saginaw Moraine before mentioned, and forms the beginning of the
Interlobate Moraine that increases in volume to the southwestward.*
The next moraine to the east is the Defiance Moraine with northern
point near Adrian, Michigan, curving southwestward and forming the
eastern side of the Valley of the Tiffin River. It is cut through at the
apex of its curve by the Maumee River three miles below Defiance,
and thence curves southeastward forming the east valley of the lower
Auglaize River and, eastward, the north valley of the Blanchard River.

* For a more detailed description of these moraines see Dr. Charles R. Dryer's survey in the
ixteenth Report of Indiana Geology, page 119 e(. set;.

THE GRADUAL SLO PINGS OF THE MORAINES.

All of these moraines are nearly ^parallel, and much curved with the
concave sides to the eastward, facing the direction of the advent and
departure of the glacier. At the northern inlets of Maumee Bay, in
the northern part of the Basin, is the point of a small moraine extend-
ing northward, being parallel outside the Basin to a like moraine.
Reference to figures on the map on page 'IH will show the altitudes of
these moraines, and of many of the intervening parts. The highest
point is 568 feet above Lake Erie at a distance from Maumee Bay of

Hamilton ( Fish ) Lake, Olsetio Township, Steuben County, Indiana. Looking northwest from
top of tobocEan slide at Cold Sprintr. early and wet mornint- 7th June. 1902. Moraine on distant shore.

75 miles in direct line; but the draina.ge waters of this high point flow
three times this distance or more. The approach to the moraines is of
such gradual ascent that they scarcely impress the traveler — in fact
the average traveler crosses and recrosses the moraines within the
Basin without thought of the elevation or, at most, of there being but
'a slight ridge.' The crest of the several moraines vary materially- in
their width. A popular public road 'the evolution of an early trail
through the forest) still winds along the crest of the Defiance Moraine
for much of its exteqt, both north and south of the Maumee River, and
is commonh' known as the North and the South Ridge Road. In

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

places along this crest the ground declines perceptibly from both sides
of the narrow roadway, but in most of its course the travelers' view is
over a level country.' A continuous series of undulations, of very
moderate variation in altitude, exist in the St. Joseph Moraine and
still higher on the watershed west of the St. Joseph River, and to
lesser heights in other moraines within the Basin; but the inequalities
are more marked to the northwest just without these limits. The soil
of these moraines is very fertile. It is generallv of sandy loam, and
quick to res]iond to the worthy husbandman's efforts with bounteous

Luokim; south at Bankers, Cambria Townshiu Hillsdale County. Miciiiuan. Jnne tl, I'.Xli. Bit; Bear
Lake, one of the sources of the River St. Joseph. cHmpsed in the distance. The middle ground shows
vegetation that is fast encroachine upon and tiHini. in the upper part of this lake. The greatest altitude
in lower Michigan is but a few miles to the rifht.

returns. It is of a good degree of thickness, easy to cultivate, not
prone to wash away and, on account of the favorable subsoil, it never
misses a crop. In wet seasons the surplus water readily disperses,
largely through the subsoil, and in seasons of drouth the ground water
is well attracted to the needs of vegetation. Proper underdraining and
tilling are rapidly producing these favorable and certain results in the
more distinctive clay soils of all levels.

There are, further, some ridge and mound formations bv the last
glacier, or deposited in and by its crevicing or its supra or sub-water-

RIDGES OF EARTH. ESKARS AND KAMES.

ways, called osars or eskars, and kames.''' A numbt-r of these interest-
ing formations are found on the westerly part of the St. Mary Moraine
and near its southwestern border. The first eskar to be mentioned
forms the western wall of the Six-Mile Creek Gap in Section l."i, Adams
Township, Allen County, Indiana.! It is composed of gravel in anti-
clin?.l stratification, is 20 feet high, about 330 feet wide, and half a mile
long. An eskar and kame are situated on the crest of the St. Marv
Moraine in the eastern part of the City of Fort Wayne. The eskar
was a broad, sandy ridge extending from the east line of Section 7,
Adams Township, westward one and- a quarter miles. The freight
yards of the Penns^'lvania Railroad occupy a leveled portion of it.
The kame is just west of this point and rises conically to a height of
30 feet. A little to the north of this eskar, and parallel with it, is

Lony Lake. lookiriL' north of oa^^t tioin Cioar Lake Township. Steuben (.ount.v, Indiana, to the
Michigan shore, Hillsdale County. 0th June. ]9<>3. This lake is near the highest altitude in these two

another of symmetrical form and one-fourth mile in length. Another
extends from near the crossing of the River St. Mary by the N. Y., C.
& St. L. Railwa\- (the 'Nickel Plate'.) to the southward one and one-
half miles as a massive ridge. It has been much excavated as a gravel
supply. Another rises 30 feet as the west river bank and curves and
branches irregularly across the Allen Countv Infirmary farm to the

"^ There has been much confusion in tiie use of these names, and mucn discussion recardint: the
process of formation of the prominences thus named. Qsar is the old European name for ridges of
gravel and sand of varying lengths that cannot be attributed to the action wholly of the ice, or to the
action of running water without aid similar to that a glacier might afford, nor to the wave action of
a lake. Eskar is the term latterly used by geologists to the displacement of osar. A mound or conical
prominence constructed by the glacial streams, generally in immediate relation to the edge of the
ice, is the later signification of the term kame.

t See account of the survey of Dr. Charles R. Dryer in the Sixteenth Report of Indiana Geology.
page 116.

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

southward, a mile in length. Several other eskars are discernible in
this vicinity; and associated with this series are several small island-
like prominences in the broad drainat^e channel of the Maumee Glacial
Lake through which the Wabash Railway, and electric cars, run south-
westward from P'ort Wayne. On the largest of these prominences,
known as Fox Island, is the most symmetrical and graceful eskar of
this system. It is curved like the letter S. in slighter degree, and
is three-c]uarters of a mile in length. It is 25 feet in height and its
sides are 'as steep as sand can be piled.'

t ir't "i llie St. Joseph Moraine. Looking; west in the west pai t of Hicksville Towiisliii). Ut-liance
County, Ohio. 30th October. 1902. Showing the Baltimore and Ohio Railway tracks as lowered durint;
the years 1900-01-02. A very fertile country.

A very interesting serpentine eskar is situated in Highland Town-
ship, Defiance County, Ohio, six miles southeast of the City of Defiance
and one mile south of the hamlet of Ayersville. This is the most
extensive in the Basin. It is named Highland Eskar by the writer. It
was formed in part by direct deposit by the .glacier, and by the running
water in the melting glacier at the time the Defiance Moraine wa's laid ;
and it is now a much more prominent feature of the landscape than
anv part of the moraine in its vicinity, which has suffered materialh'
from washings.

When the Maumee Glacial Lake had receded to have the Defiance

HIGHLAND ESKAR AT MOUTH OF DEFIANCE BAY. 45

Moraine for its westurn and southern shore, the northwestern, western,
southwestern sides of the Highland Eskar were washed liy the Defiance
Bay, and its northeast side faced the connection of this Bay with the
Lake, it lieing a prominent island in other words, at the mouth of the
Bay. Its northern end lies one-fourth mile in the southwestern quar-
ter of Section 10, extending to the south line of this Section where
the public road rises to and follows its crest eastward and southward
for three-fourths mile across the northwest quarter of Section 15, and
the northeast quarter of Section 14, where it turns south and extends
one-half mile, and then turns southwest, ending beyond the south i^iart
of these Sections and along the line between them. Its length is
about two miles. Its highest part is 35 to 40 feet in the northern third

m^--si^'

iM'l^^Si

|p^U

i-s^^,jr2#5

^'^^1

•^

fi^^^^J

^smiw^Bsami

Mf! '^: . -^ \\k

■'Wm

^^^^

■ ■ ""^^iifflii'?

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^^M

-aoi'iwSiiF*

.^^

Hii

itf^^H

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■^Bl

Bwmij

Defiance Moraine Glen, in north bank of the Mauniee Water Gap. thruu niilcc, ca^t*ul tliu .City of
Defiance, lookint; north, 15th October, 1901.

of its length. It is generally narrow in body, and ridge, so narrow in
places that there is just width enough for the public road tliat winds
along its ridge the entire extent, excepting the north one-fourth mile.
There are six farm residences, with the other usual farm buildings,
occupied by old settlers or their descendants, along the crest of High-
land Eskar; also a Freewill Baptist church building with its churchyard
cemetery. The base of this eskar is composed of clay to varying
heights above the level surrounding country overlain with gravel, and
then with sandy loam of great fertility, affording the best of gardens and
small orchards on its crest and sides. Wells have been made on its
sides near the base and supply good water at a depth of 12 to 14 feet ;
and at its northern end there is a spring of excellent water which is not
exhausted in dry seasons. Excavations on this eskar have brought to
view parts of trees and other vegetation that quickly crumbled to dust

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

on exposure to the air, evidencing;' their burial in tlu- remote past,
probably at the time of the formation of the eskar. The views from
the crest of this eskar in all directions are over well-tilled and highly
fertile farms, bri};htened with comfortable homes, on the 'elm' lands
that were formerly the bottom of the Maumee Glacial Lake, and later,

Map of Hiphland Eskar in the Mouth of Defiance Glacial Bay at the Ancient Water Gap in the
Defiance Moraine, six miles southeast of the City of Defiance. The squares are Land Sections, each
one mile square, in northeast Hiiihland Township. The dots mark the situation of houses.

of Defiance Bay, from the waters of which the rich soil was deposited.
Thus, in the ideal topography of this Maumee River Basin, and in
the due admixture of the best of soil ingredients, so commingled and
conditioned in its Drift as to retain their vitality' from dissii)ation by
undue oxidation, washing, or leeching, do we realize the beneficent
results of its Glaciation.

The Hichland Eskar in northeast Hiiihland Township. Defiance County. Ohio. Looking south
26th October, 1901.

EVIDENCES OF PREHISTORIC MAN. 47

CHAPTER III.

Evidences of Prehisthrh' Man — the Aborigines as First Seen.

The American or WustL-rn Continent has been designated by good
authority* as the oldest of continents: and the aboriginal man in
America has been classed among the Mongoloids, or earliest of people,
antedating Adam.T

There have been many speculations and theories regarding the
length of time that man has existed. The earliest Stone Age in
Europe has been recorded + as beginning probably more than 1(10,000
years in the past, and juThaps many hundred thousand years.
Other writers regard the beginning of the first Stone .A.ge as probably
not earlier than 4400 to ."lOOO years ago, but admit that man probably
existed prior to that time and left no evidence of his handiwork.

The existence of man before, or during the Glacial Period, has been
quite well established in the opinion of many scientists, both by the
discovery of his fossilized bones and of stone implements of his shap-
ing buried in the Glacial Drift. It is very seldom that fossilized bones
of any animal are found notwithstanding the myriads of mankind, and
of larger lower animals that have existed through the multiple ages.
This is not strange when the facility of their destruction, and the
exacting conditions of Nature for their preservation, are considered. §

• Louis Agassiz in the Atlantic Monthly, vol. \i, pace :)73 ; Geological Sketches, page 1.

t Preadamites. by Professor Alexander VVinchell. LL. D., paj:es 66, 304.

t Haeckel's Natuerliche Schoep ungsgeschichte. pane 595. Preadamites. 431.

SThe process of fossilization, or chancinc to stone, consists in the replacement and solidification of
each cell with minute particles of calcium or silica which are held in solution by the water coverinc the
bones. This process is one of Nature's very slow, delicate, and all-exactinc methods of preserving the
oreanic form while replacing or modifying the organic structure of very hard tissues. Soft tissues can-
not become petrified on account of their ready putrefaction.

Casts of the human form are sometimes made by the body being rapidly encased in fine lava or
inaterial that readily adapts itself to the form and quickly hardens. A mold is thus formed which may
become filled by a semifluid that will harden. Casts have thus been made in the oldest molds found —
those at Pompeii of persons, and dogs, overwhelmed by the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in
A. D. 49.

Also in favoring conditions of temperature, moisture and ingredients, the soft parts of an animal
body may become changed to adipocere iadeps. fat, and cere, wax), or ammonia margarate. An occa-
sional human body, exhumed after a few score years for burial elsewhere, has been found in this con-
dition—the most notable instances being at the Cemetery of the Innocents. Paris, in 1786-87. and later
in New York City, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of that city yet possessing the body. There
is, also, a later specimen of this character in the Wistar Museum of Comparative Anatomy of the Uni-
versity of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. These specimens, however, possess nothing of stony hardness
and are crumbling. Comparatively few fossilized bones have been found, which proves that even the
hardest parts of mankind and the lower animals generally return to their native elements with great
facility.

48 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

The most important discoveries vet made of this character are as
follows: A human skull found in a cave at Engis near Liege, Bel-
gium, in 1833, and a like skull found in iS'iT by workmen in a lime-
stone quarrv in the valley of the Neander"^ a small stream near Diissel-
dorf, Germany, which have become known as the Engis and the
Neanderthal skulls.

Part of a human skull was found in February, 1866, in gold-bearing-
gravel in Sonora Table Mountain, Calaveras County, California; and it
is thereby known to archaeologists as the Calaveras Skull. Other
human bones, and stone implements chipped by man, were also
found in this deposit of gravel which Prof. Josiah D. Whitney classed
in the Pliocene of the Tertiary age.t Some of the geologists of the
United States Survey, however, have classed these gravels in the
Quarternary Period.

Other ancient remains have been recorded in this species of evi-
dence in different countries, including different parts of America: but it
should be admitted that most of them have not well withstood the tests
of scientific investigation. Human footprints have, also, been found
indelibh- impressed and hardened in Post- Pliocene stratum, one of the
most noted being found in Nicaragua. +

The most numerous, and the most probable of the evidences thus
far discovered of man's existence in the Glacial Period, however, are
stone implements that were moved and covered by a glacier. The
observing and persevering archaeologist, M. Boucher de Perthes, dis-
covered during the years 1841 and subsecjuently, chipped stones which
were evidently shaped by man for cutting purposes. These rude
knives were found in glacial gravel which had apparentl\' remained
undisturbed since the ice placed it on a high terrace in the valley of
the River Somme at Abbeville, North France. The sciences of
geology and anthropology were then in their infancy, and the branch
archasolog\' had then hardly a beginning.

Account of these implements and of the depths at which they were
found, were published by their discoverer in 1847, and additional
accounts of the discoveries by his iiu])il. Doctor Regillot, of Amiens,
were soon thereafter given to scientists : but it was not until 1858-59
that other French and English geologists visited this locality and
became convinced of the jirobablx' true character of the implements
and of the stratum in which they were found. This conjoined inves-
tigation and discussion led to a more enlightened search and to addi-
tional discoveries elsewhere. Peculiar stones that had been found in

* See Dr. Schwalbe's lecture mentioned in the American Review of Reviews. Jan. 1904, p. 111.
t Memoirs of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, of Harvard University, vol. vi.
i American Philosophical Society's Proceedings, xxiv. 1887, page 4:^7.

EVIDENCES OF EARLIER MAN JN OHIO. 49

England in the iHth century and preserved with the bones of an extinct
species of elephant were, upon reconsideration, declared to be palaeo-
lithic, or palanthropic, or shaped by man in the earliest Stone Age.

In April, 1873, Dr. Charles C. Abbot discovered similarly formed
knives in the glacial gravel at Trenton, New Jersey,* and later finds
in the same jilace have been j)ublished by him and by others. t The
correctness of the published deductions regarding the age of these
implements has been doubted, however, hv different writers. +

The first evidence thought to be decisive of the presence of man
in Ohio previous to, or during the Ice Age, was found in October, 1885,
by Dr. Charles L. Metz, at Madisonville, eight feet below the surface
in the gravel of the Little Miami River Valley one mile back from the
river terrace. This find is a crudely shaped black-fiint knife about the
size and form of one of the same material found at Trenton, above
mentioned. Doctor Metz found another knife in b^HT, thirty feet below
the surface in coarser undisturbed gravel one-fourth mile from the river
at Loveland, Ohio, twenty-five miles above Madisonville. Petrified
bones of a mastodon were also found in the immediate vicinity : and
the contiguity of similar fossils and relics m othir localities are con-
sidered in favor of the validity of the evidence that man existed in the
same geologic era as the mastodon.

In 189(3 a grooved axe was found by a well digger near New
London, Huron County, Ohio, twenty-two feet below the surface of
the ground, under thirteen feet of tough cla\'.§

Since the year 1887, numerous other like implements have been
found in Ohio and other States under conditions thought b\' their dis-
coverers to be Well authenticated for their great antiquity, even beyond
the Ice Age. Great care is necessary, however, that articles of later
prehistoric times, and even those chipped and artificiallj; ' weathered '
in the present generation, be not sold, and recorded, by imposters and
incompetent judges, to the confusion of legitimate and commendable
efforts. Careful and well-attested description of the conditions sur-
rounding every implement of unusual character found should be sent

* The American Naturalist, vol. \ii. pace "204 ; vol. x. paue 329. Winsor vol. i, patie 38:1

t Tenth Annual Report of the Trustees of the Psabody Museum of American Archaeology and
Ethnology, vol. ii. pat^e^ 3it. 22rt. Winsor's Narrative and Critical History of America, i, 834.

I See the American Journal of Anthropology 1^92 ; Science. November. 1H92 ; Journal of
Geology, 1893; The Meeting Place of Geology and History, 1894, wherein William H. Holmes and
Sir J. William Dawson claim that the evidence of age is not satisfactory from a geological point of
view, as the implements found at Trenton were not taken from undisturbed gravel, but from a talus of
loose debris ; and that they resemble the rougher tools and rejectamenta of the descendants of the
aborigines. The trustees of the Carnegie Institution made a grant of $20(X1 in 19t)3 to the Director of the
Bureau of .American Ethnology, Washington, for further investigation regarding the early history of man
in America. See Year Booli : also Science, December 2."), 1903,

Si See the American Geologist, November, 1896, and the Fifth Annual Report of the Ohio State
Academy of Science.

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

with the implement, to the nearest University possessing a well-ordered
department of archaeology, and every facility should be afforded the
chief of this department for his personal investigation.

There are in the writer's collection of prehistoric imjalements a
number of rudely chipped flint knives which exhibit on their surface
the evidence of great age,'^ and which are not unlike in appearance the
palaeoliths, or palanthrops, mentioned above. The accompanying
engraving shows one of them of medium size. They have been found
in different parts of the Maumee River Basin, some of them not widelv
separated from fossil remains of the mastodon : but the character of
their surroundings when found are not sufficiently attested to warrant
their classification as belonging to the Age of Ice.

Prehistoric Flint Knife, full i=ize. Found in the Maumee River Basin. It resembles some of the

' Palffioliths.' Author's Collection.

While excavating a tunnel into the loess of the Missouri River
Valle}' in February, 1902, near Lansing, Kansas, remains of two human
skeletons were found, one of which being better preserved is treasured
as of great archaeological value. Warren Upham, in the magazine
Records of the Past for September, 1902, vol. i, page 273, estimates
the age of this skeleton at 12,000 years, which he regards "as no more
than an eighth part of the whole duration of the Ice Age in its success-

* The degree of weathering or chanpe produced b.v time in flint, ordinary stones, or in any article
may and generally does depend upon the character of the article itself, the dryness, moisture, heat, cold'
lime, soda, sulphur, atmosphere, or other surroundings and conditions to which it has been subjected'
When conditions are favorable there may be little if any change, consequently the condition of an
article does not necessarily signify the time that has elapsed since it was shaped or used by man. The
character of the substance of the article itself, its form, the character of its surroundings and the proba-
ble changes that have occurred in them if any, should all be taken into the estimation.

REMAINS OF EARLIER MAN AND HIS WORKS. 51

ive Alberton, Aftonian, Kansan, Helvetian (or Buchanan), lowan and
Wisconsin stages. ... It can scarcely be so little as 10,000 years,
and may indeed, according to estimates by other glacialists for the date
of the lowan stage, have been even 20,000 years, or more. At the
most, it can be only a small fraction of the antiquity of man in Europe,
where he seems surely to have been coeval with the beginning of the
Ice Age." T. C. Chamberlin, in the American Journal of Geology
for October and November, 1902, accords this Lansing skeleton 'a very
respectable antiquity, but much short of the close of the glacial inva-
sion.' W. H. Holmes, in the American Anthropologist for October-
December, 1902, also ])laces these remains in the Post-Glacial Age. In
the April, 1903, Records of the Past, George Frederick Wright states
that "while the glacial age of this skeleton may, therefore, be confidently
accepted, it should be kept constantly in mind, for the relief of the
anthropologist, that there is increasing evidence that the closing stages
of the Glacial period in North America did not long precede that of
the high stages of civilization brought to light bv recent explorations
in Babylonia. Hilprecht and others would carry that date back to
9000 or 10,000 years, which would be within 3000 years of the date
assigned by Mr. Upham to the deposition of the lowan loess."*
In September, 1902, the engineers in charge of the construction
of the St. Louis Belt Railway, found a granite axe five inches long and
three and one-half inches wide, three-quarters grooved and well finished,
under fourteen feet of loess, a half mile northwest of Clayton, Missouri.
Cyrus A. Peterson, M. D., who describes and pictures this axe in the
Records of the Past for January, 1903, regards this discover}' as evi-
dence of the preglacial existence of man and his advancement in
handiwork.

Prehistoric Mounds of Earth.

Europeans, upon their advent into the Maumee River Basin, found
little beside the wandering Aborigines, the wild animals, and other pro-
ducts of Nature, to attract their attention, or to stimulate investigation.
As the years passed, bringing an ever increasing population and the
clearing of the forest, some persons there were who recognized in cer-
tain tumuli, or mounds, the work of a people of whom the Aborigines,
as seen at the beginning of the written records of the region, knew
nothing, even by tradition. These mounds of earth, a very few crude
articles sometimes found therein, and stone weapons, implements, and
ornaments, in use when the existing Aborigines were discovered by
Europeans, constitute all the works of man of a prehistoric character
that have been discovered in this region.

* See also proceedings of the Congress of Americanists. New York meeting, 1903 ; of the Amer-
ican Association for the Advancement of Science ; the Pooiiar S:/snC3 Monthly ioT March. 1903; ar.d
N. H. Winchell in the Bulletin of the Geological Society of America, 1903.

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

Different writers fiave estimated the number of prehistoric earth
mounds In Ohio at from ten to thirteen thousand. Probalily the
authentic number, great as it certainly is, is not so large as this.

By far the larger number of these mounds are situated in the
southern portion of the State. They were probably made for differ-
ent uses: for burials, for defense, and perhaps, for religious cere-
monies. Many are large and required great labor in their construction
which may have been performed by prisoners of war subjected to
slavery.

Earth mound in the Northwest Onarter ot Section iH, Uetiance 'rownship. (.)flen erroneously
called the work of Prehistoric people — The Mound Builders. Looking northeast across the valley of
the Maumee River, 35th October. 1901.

The number, and size, of similar mounds lessens materially
toward the northern portion of Ohio ; and, probably, many of the
prominences in this Basin that have in later years been called the work
of man in the far distant past, are due wholly to natural agencies,
such as the glacial or subsequent deposits, or erosions of water.
The mounds, however, that are composed of different layers of earth
separated in a suggestive way from their kind, with ashes, charred
wood, etc., and with some anciently formed weapon or ornament of
stone, or fragment of ancient pottery, found in definite arrangement,
thus evidence their formation by mankind.

While the Basin of the Maumee River was probably not the head-

FEW MOUNDS IN THIS BASIN: THEIR BUILDERS. 53

quarters of so great a number of early peoples of somewhat sedentary
or settled habits as was the country to the south and southeast, it is
probable that the Maumee River and its larger tributaries were great
thoroughfares of travel by the prehistoric peoples, as they were by the
historic Aborigines from the time of the advent of the Europeans up to
the time of the removal of the last tribe to its western reservation in
1843. Some of those early people also here heaped the earth in low
conical mounds above the bodies of certain ones of their dead.

The fact that so few artificial mounds are now found in this Basin
is probal)h- due to several causes, among which may be mentioned the
sparse, or absence of, fixed population. This may have been due in
part to the dense forest and the general flatness of the country conducive
to great moisture and softness of the soil and to much of miasm and dis-
ease in dry seasons; second, to this region lieing often patrolled by the
Five Nations of the east, and its being the middle or enforced neutral
ground between the wilder tribes to the northward and the more peace-
ful or stronger, and consequently, more advanced people to the south-
ward who were represented here only by occasional wandering bands
that had few deaths and buried shallow from want of time, lapse of
inclination, or fear of desecrations by their foes; third, to man\' of the
smaller mounds, containing single or few bodies, becoming obliterated
by the natural forces, or the plows of the early white settlers; fourth,
to most of the bodies of those killed in battle, or dying of disease, not
being interred.

The belief has become quite general among archaeologists that the
Mound Builders were the ancestors of the Aborigines as seen by Euro-
peans, or of the Chereokee tribe particularly, and perhaps of the
Shawnees also, and that they were distinct from their descendants only
by their greater advancement toward civilization, they having had more
fixed haliitations which conserved their energy to the interdependent
study and practice of peaceful arts.

It can readily be imagined that the Mound Builders met defeat by
their distant cousins, the tribes to the northward who had remained in
wildness and savagery, surging down upon them, like a horde of rapa-
cious vandals that they were, and putting to death all who could not
flee from their merciless attacks ! This is the probable mode of their
vanquishment. Their complete overthrow, ejectment or captivity may
have been accomplished in one year, or it may have been the result of
repeated attacks through a series of years.

Southern Ohio and the Cumberland River Valley, Tennessee, are
among the regions containing the mounds and graves which have
thus far yielded hammered native copper, chased gorgets and other
ornaments that show the greatest advancement in handiwork of the

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

prehistoric people of the more Northern United States of this
meridian. '

Undoubtedly the number was increasing among them, who were
turning awa}' from the wandering and warring habits of their ancestors
to a more settled, peaceful and happier life, improving in handiwork
and trade in village, or in tilling the soil near by. Their numbers, and
the influence of their peaceful work, were extending northward ; but
there was not time allowed them to assume a firm and stable hold upon
Northern Ohio before the irresistibly fatal invasion swept them away
with all the evidences of their advancement excepting their fortresses
and burial mounds, and such articles as were preserved therein or were
lost on the surface to be covered for centuries and then to be turned up
by the plows, or like their relics in the mounds be excavated, by a
different and much further advanced people. The savage, victorious

Location of Prehistoric Mounds and Circles of Earth in Northern Ohio and Northeastern Indiana.

invaders constructed few, if any mounds, nor did they undertake so
much work as was necessary to destroy those of the vanquished.

The writer's record embraces something over fifty mounds and
earthworks in this Basin that can properly be classed as the work of
prehistoric man. Their situation is on high ground, in small groups
widely scattered.

About twenty mounds have been noted in DeKalb and Steuben
Counties, Indiana. Mastodon remains, some very large and complete,
have also been found in a half dozen places in DeKalb near some of
these mounds. In section 27, of Smithfield Township, the remains of a
Mastodon were found in good preservation at a depth of four feet in
blue clay, whereas such preserved bones are usually found in muck or
peat where the animal mired and met its death by asphyxiation or star-

* See The Antiquities of Tennessee and the Adjacent States, by Gates P. Thruston, 2nd
edition. Report on the Mound Explorations of the Bureau of Ethnology, by Cyrus Tliomas, Washing-
ton, 1894. Archaeological History of Ohio, by Gerard Fowke, Columbus. 1902.

PREHISTORIC MOUNDS AND THEIR CONTENTS.

vation. The mounds in this vicinity contained considerable charcoal.
In one near Waterloo the charcoal was several feet in thickness, and
covered the remains of twenty-five or more persons, whose bodies were
deposited irregularly as though hastily and indifferently.*

Nine mounds of earth have been reported in Allen County,
Indiana.! Four of these are on high land between Cedar and Willow
Creeks and near the Fort Wayne branch of the Lake Shore and Michi-
gan Southern Railway. Two are situate about forty feet apart in north
and south line, and the other two fifteen rods east about the same dis-
tance apart in east and west line. They were explored many years
ago and found to contain human remains, charcoal, something of
crudely hammered copper ornaments, and of the ordinary chipped flint
points. A large oblong mound exists four miles southward of the

Type-forms of Prehistoric Flint Knives (Nos. 1, 3), Arrow and Spear Points, Perforators (Nos. 17. 18).
and Scrapers (No. 16). They vary much in size. Of the 'Points' about 5tX)0 to 1 are beveled to the left,
as shown here in the tliick Number 11.

above named: and at Cedarville, near the St. Joseph River, are three
mounds about one hundred feet apart parallel with the river in north-
east line.

A single small mound existed on the east bank of the river about
four miles north of Fort Wayne, and this is the most southern part of
Allen County at which prehistoric earthworks have been determined.

Nine mounds have been determined on the high banks of the
Maumee River. Two of these mounds are in Indiana near the Ohio
line, four also on the south bank at Antwerp, Ohio, the first of which
is one mile west of this village, the second in the park within the cor-
poration, the third one-half mile, and the fourth one mile eastward.

A mound was found on the high south bank of the Maumee River,
a few rods west of the middle north and south line of Section twentv-

* See the Sixteenth Report of Indiana Geology, page 104.

t By Colonel Robert S. Robertson, reported in the History oj Allen County, and to the writer.

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

seven of Defiance Township, (nearh- a half mile above the present
Water Works pumping station) by Joshua Hilton, who purchased the
farm embracing this land in January, 1822. This mound was about
four feet above the surrounding land, about thirty feet in diameter, and
was covered with oak trees 18 to 20 inches in diameter. Mr. Hilton
and his son, Brice, who gave the writer this information, opened this
mound in the year 1^24. A small quantity of bony fragments were
found which readily crumbled between the fingers on being handled.
Human teeth were found, some of which were of large size. Some

Richt Bank of the Auylaize River. luokiIl^; iiortli, 19th September, 1901, from tlie southwest corner
of Section 3, Defiance Townsliip, Ohio, at tlie mouth of Garrnan Run. Low stat;e of water. The Glacial
Till somewliat stratified. To the riyht of the central distance a Prehistoric Burial Mound is beini,'
undermined by the high waters and freezings. This Mound formerly contained eijzlit liuman bodies in
sitting posture. The bones disintegrated some years ago.

dark stone gorgets were also found, about four by two inches in size,
pierced with slanting holes of ', goose-quill' size. This mound was
excavated and used as a cellar li\- the famil\-. the first house, built of
logs, being at convenient distance from it. The site of this mound
was undermined by the river manv vears ago.

The other two mounds along the Maumee were on the north bank
on the farm of Captain Clayton W. Everett, just above the line of the
City of Toledo. In leveling one of these mounds in the summer of

ARTIFICIAL MOUNDS BY THE AUGLAIZE RIVER. 57

1900, a bar or pick-shaped amulet, of dark, fine-grained slate, was
found which measures eighteen inches in length, the longest on record.
This has been deposited in the museum of the Ohio State Archaeological
and Historical Society, Columbus.

Along the Auglaize River, five mounds have been determined; two
in the western part of Putnam County, near Dupont, and three in Defi-
ance Township. One, situated on the high east bank near the south
line of Section 8, about four miles southwest of Defiance Court House,
is now nearly obliterated bv infringement of the public road and under-
mining by the river. ( See engraving. ) This mound was opened by
curious neighbors previous to 1870. Decaying bones of eight or ten
persons who had evidently been buried in sitting posture, were found
with charcoal.

A smaller mound, about two feet high and fourteen feet in diameter,
was situated on the high west bank of the Auglaize, near the middle
north and south line of Section 34, two and one-fourth miks southwest
of Defiance Court House. It was explored in the summer of lb78.
About six inches below the surface of the central part a circular group
of stones varying from two to five inches in diameter were found that
had been taken from the river channel near by. They rested u])on a
layer of clay two inches thick, like the surrounding land in quality,
which had been subjected to great heat while wet and was, conse-
quently, very hard and brick-like. Beneath this layer of clay was a
layer of ashes two inches thick, and eight or ten sticks of thoroughh-
charred wood about two feet long and two or more inches thick in their
largest parts. With the ashes were, also, bits of charred flesh and
small bones, perhaps of some animal, but the kind could not be deter-
mined, and small fragments of crude jiottery which easily crumbled.
Upon removing the ashes and about one foot of hardened earth, human
bones were found in an advanced stage of decomjiosition, consisting of
parts of the calvarium and long bones of one person, head lying a
little east of north. With these bones was found only one plain gorget
four inches long, one and three-eighths inches wide and one-half inch
thick, tapering" on the sides toward the ends, and with two holes one
and a half inches apart and equidistant from the ends. These holes
are of one-fourth inch diameter on one side and taper gradually and
smoothly to one-eight inch on the opposite side. The gorget is of Ohio
Shale such as is seen in the bed of the Auglaize River nearby. About
forty rods north, also on the high bank overlooking the river, was
another mound of like size and contents, excepting the gorget.

The only mound, however, that has been generally known and
talked about as the work of the Mound Builders near Defiance, has
been considered by the writer as a natural mound, caused bv erosions

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

of thf river around. It is situate toward the southeast side of Blodgett
Island (see ent;raving') eastward from the two mounds last described,
it being near the east line of Section thirty-four in Defiance' Township,
and a little north of the center of the south-east (|uarter of the Section,

Prehistoric Articles made and used by tlie Aborigines. Found daring later years in tlie Maumee
River Basin, and now in the .Author's Collection. Nos. 1 to 6, Fragments of Pottery; 7, Turtle shaped
Granite; 8, 10, Plumbet and Half-alobe of Haematite; 9, Double Discoid of Granite: 11 to 16, Tobacco
Pipes; 17, 18, Bird-form Amulets of Slate ; 19, 34, 2.5, 33, 34, Banner Stones of Slate; 31, 23, Awls of Deer
Bones; 33. 26. 27, 28, 30, Gorgets of Slate; 29, Pendant; 31, 32, Bar Amulets of Granite; 3,5, 36. ,S7, Wam-
pum of Shells; 3H, Part of Elk Horn used in Planting Corn; 39, Celt, 'Thunderbolt' or Tomahawk of
Granite; 40. Pestle and Rolling Pin, also 41, 44, Pestle and Stone Base (uncommon), for Cracking and
Grinding Corn; 42, Axe, K Grooved. Weight, &^ lbs., Length, 9'4 inches; 43, Axe, Full Grooved, for
twisting around Withe Hai^dle; 45, Ball for Games. The articles last named are of the hardest Granite,
and some of them show long time weathering.

and forty rods northwest of the present Cement Works. This mound,
in the summer of 189S, was thirty-five feet above the ordinary summer
level of the river, twenty-five above the land immediately to the south,

NATURAL MOUNDS ON AND NEAR BLODGETT ISLAND. 59

and twenty feet above that a few rods to the north. -It is somewhat
elliptical in outline, its longest diameter being a little north of east
bv south of West, and measures 55x40 feet from points midwav
from base to summit from which jioints the slopings are
gradual, below and abo\'e, being rather more abrujit on the
south side, against which the current strikes in high stages
of the river. This mound was covered with trees, the same as
parts of the island and the river banks in the vicinity, until the year
1874 when it, with the land around not then under culti\'ation, was

Blodcett Island in the Auglaize River, Defiance Townsliip. Looking west, 3nd November, liX)2. The
main branch of the River is by the distant trees. The lar^ie Monnd toward tlie rii;ht has been called [he
work of the Mound Builders, but it is of the same formation as the neij^hborin^i liigh places and is, prob-
ably, a natural monadnock like the peculiar triani^ular eminence at the mouth of Powell Creek a few
hundred feet to the left. This island is sixty acres in extent.

cleared, and the island was planted with corn. It has been regularlv
cultivated since, occasionally wheat being the croj), to the north ])ar-
ticularly. The plowing has been extended upward on the sides of the
mound each time and this and the washings of rain have materially
modified its outline. It was partially opened many years ago with
negative result. In 1895 the writer obtained permission from Adam
Wilhelm, for many years its owner, to excavate it; but in the winter it
was found that some persons had surreptitiously dug into its eastern

60 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

summit a hole six feet square to the depth of about eight feet. y\gain,
in the winter of 1897-98, an excavation was made by the same persons
two feet to the southwest of the other, eight feet square and to a depth
of ten feet or more. These oiK-nings were not seen by the writer until
heavy rains had washed their sides and caused much filling. The
ground material thrown out by these diggings was the same as that
composing the high banks of the river in the vicinity, with nothing of
the alluvium covering the other parts of the island.

This work of excavation was done bv ignorant persons with the
hope of finding material of commercial value, and, i^ossiblv the chest
of money which rumor many vears ago said was buried in this direction
from Defiance. The tradition of buried money has been perpetuated
in nearly every section of the country. In and about Defiance belief
in this tradition has been strong, and the desire for great gain has
induced many persons to dig into many prominences in field and woods
without regard for archaeological considerations.

At the eastern edge of the second glacial lake beach, on the head-
waters of Bad Creek, in Pike Township, ten miles northeast of Wau-
seon, Fulton County, Ohio, there were early discovered on the Howard
farm eleven mounds of small size, arranged in somewhat of circular
form. Nearly all of these mounds were dug into soon after their dis-
covery by persons actuated by curiosity, or the more serious desire for
articles of commercial value. A few human bones, some charcoal, and
a few (to the vandals) indifferent articles of flint and slate, were the
result of their work. In the year 1884, Judge William H. Handy, then
a resident of Wauseon, led an exploring party to these burial places,
with somewhat better results. They called several of them sacrificial
mounds on account of patches of earth, hardened by fire, which they
termed altars.

Such places of baked cla\' in the earth mounds of ancient people
were called altars by Squier and Davis, in the first volume of the Smith-
sonian publications. But, if they were altars, they do not necessarily
imply the custom of human sacrifice ; nor does the finding of charcoal
so generally in these mounds, imply cremation of their dead. Fire was
used in these places possibly as a funeral rite ; but these places were
probably used for camps in wet seasons, and the fire was used for heat-
ing and cooking ; also the smallest bones found thereabout are proba-
bly of the animals there eaten.

The finding in Tennessee of adult skeletons in stone graves too
small for the complete body, has been interpreted as reburials of the
bones after the flesh had disai>peared. Likewise skeletons of numerous
bodies, found in separated and promiscuous condition under ashes,
baked clay, charcoal, etc., with charred posts, leads to the inference

EXTINCT ANIMAL REMAINS: CIRCULAR EARTH RIDGES. 61

that the prehistoric people buried their dead under the floor of their
hut, like some of the later aborigines ; or had a charnel house, and
when for any cause a change of location was desired the}' burned the
house and sometimes threw u]) a mound over the remains.

Mastodon -\nii Opher Extinct Animal Remains.

The petrified remains of several mastodons have also been found
in Fulton County, the most complete and perfect being in York Town-
ship eight miles southeast of Wauseon. In the southeastern part of
the Basin like remains have been found as well as in the western part
before mentioned; also in Auglaize County, Ohio, parts of eight
mastodon skeletons have been found, and the remains of the giant
beaver, both of which animals were co-existent with man in the Mau-
mee River Basin following the subsidence of the glacial waters.

Pre-Histdric Circles anm Semi-Circi.es ok Earth Ridges.

Earth enclosures also abound In Ohio and in other States. In
form these vary from square to more or less octagonal and circular.
Their uses have been discussed as hill forts, geometrical enclosures,
as sacred and as defensive walls, forming partial enclosures. "^

Of circles, the writer has record of three in the Maumee River
Basin; also of four semi-circles. It is regretted that full and accurate
surveys were not made of these ancient earthworks before their obliter-
ation; but authentic data of their existence, situation and approximate
size, have been gathered by the writer from elderly persons residing
near, and from various other sources.

Beginning in the northwestern part of the Basin and following
down the streams, we note first, a circular ridge of earth on the
moraine in the northeastern and highest part of Smithfield Township,
DeKalb County, Indiana. The ridge is rather indefinite in part, with
indications of possibly two original openings, while in other places it is
yet near three feet in height. Its diameter is about 200 feet. Another
circle is situate about four miles northeast of Hamilton, Steuben
County, in Richland Townshi]i. It is locally known as the Mystic
Circle, is 68 yards in diameter, and averages between three and four
feet in height with a breadth of 12 feet at the base of the earth wall or
ridge. Both of these circular earthworks show an entrance opening of
12 to 14 feet wide, a little west of south. Many large trees are grow-
ing in and around both these circles.

The third circular earthwork, now nearly obliterated bv cultivation

* For a full discussion of Prehistoric Mounds and Enclosures, see the Twelfth Annual Report of
the Bureau of Ethnology. Washincton. 1894. 4to, pages XLVIlI-l-742. Also Archaeological History of
Ohio, by the State Society, Columbus, 1902, etc.

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

of the land, was situated on the east (left) bank, in a bend of the River
St. Joseph, in the northern part of St. Joseph Township, Allen County,
Indiana.

A few miles below, on the west bank, 'opposite Antrap's mill,'
is a semi-circular ridge with opening" to the river. The earthwork is
about 600 feet in arc, and is \et about two feet high, with a well de-
fined ditch on the outside. Very large trees which have grown on
the embankment have fallen and gone to decay.' "'

Three semi-circular ridges of earth were found along the lower
Maumee River. The first was observed between the years 1837-46,
and the bookf from which the accompanying engraving is made, was
published in 1848 as the first volume of the Smithsonian Contributions

to knowledge. The description given at
that time reads that

This work is situated on the right bank of the
Maumee River, two miles above Toledo, in Wood
Count)', Ohio. The water of the river is here deep
and still, and of the lake level ; the bluff is about .3.5
feet high. Since the work was built, the current has
undermined a portion, and parts of the embankment
are to be seen on the slips, a, a. The country for
miles in all directions is flat and wet, and is heavily
timbered, as is the space in and around this inclos-
ure. The walls, measuring from the bottoms of the
ditches, are from three to four feet high. They are
not of uniform dimensions throughout their e.\tent ;
and as there is no ditch elsewhere, it is presumable
that the work was abandoned before it was finished.
Nothing can be more plain than that most of the re-
mains in Northern Ohio are military works. There
have not yet been found any remnants of the timber
in the walls ; yet it is very safe to presume that
palisades were planted on them, and that wood posts and gates were erected at the pas-
sages left in the embankments and ditches. All the positions are contiguous to water ;
and there is no higher land in their vicinity from which they might in any degree be
commanded. Of the works bordering on the shore of Lake Erie, through the State of
Ohio, there are none but may have been intended for defense ; although in some of
them the design is not perfectly manifest. They form a line from Conneaut to Toledo,
at a distance of from three to five miles from the lake, and all stand upon or near the
principal rivers. . . . The most natural inference with respect to the northern
cordon of work is, that they formed a well-occupied line, constructed either to protect

f^fi'swn hu Col VJl.;nl«stu

Prehistoric Earthwork at Eayle Point,
near Toledo.

"•' The two last named earthworks were but l)riefiy mentioned by Col. Robert S. Robertson, of Fort
Wayne, in a contribution years atto to one of tlie newspapers (name and date not known to the writer) of
his city, with the title Prehistoric Remains. A clippin^i is preserved in his scrap book, now in pos-
sesion of the writer, who is further informed that no definite survey was inade of the enclosures or
mounds mentioned above.

^Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley, hy E. GeoTue Squiei: and Dr. E. H. Davis, Wash-
ington, 1848.

PREHISTORIC SEMI-CIRCULAR FORT EARTHWORKS. 65

the advance of a nation landing from the lake and moving southward for conquest ; or,
a line of resistance for people inhabiting these shores and pressed upon by their southern
neighbors. The scarcity of mounds, the absence of pyramids of earth, which are so
common on the Ohio River, the want of rectangular or any other regular works at the
north — all these difterences tend to the conclusion that the northern part of Ohio was
inhabited by a distinct people.

The writer quoted above prepared a pamphlet later, which was
published for the Western Reserve Historical Society, descriptive of
this line of earthworks'^ showing the one here engraved as the most
westerly of the series.

About two miles below the above mentioned semi-circle, another
of similar form was later described. t It was situate also on the east
bank of the Maumee a little above the present Fassett Street Bridge
and back of the present Cincinnati, Hamilton, and Davton Railroad
Grain Elevator, in Toledo. When surveyed by Grove K. Gilbert
the ridge of earth was little less than two feet above the surface,
and ditches existed within and without. Its diameter was 387 feet,
its curve irregular as though its location had been influenced by
the position of trees. At one point, jsrobably the entrance, a
second short ridge e.xisted inside the principal one. The northern end
rested on the river bank a few yards south of the present Fassett
Street. When Elias Fassett settled at his present residence nearby,
previous to the year 1850, the site of this inclosure was covered with
large sugar maple trees. Not a vestige of this ancient earthenwork,
nor of the one above described, now remains. There are in the
vicinity of the site of the one last described two small streets named
Fort and Crescent, suggestive of its use and form.

The- last prehistoric earth-
work of this series remaining to
be described, was situated on the
south bank of Swan Creek, a few
squares altove its entrance into
the Maumee River. It included
the present crossing of Oliver and
Clayton Streets, Toledo, as shown
in the acconqianying engraving.!
At the time of its survey in
1>^71, it had been nearh' obliter-
ated by the gradin.g of the streets,
but was restored in this drawing
by aid of old citizens familiar

Prehistoric Earthwork in Toledo. ^^,^lj Jjg outlines. ItS shorteSt

* Ancient Earth Forts of the Cuyahoga Valley. Ohio, by Col. Chas. Whittlesey, Cleyelaiid, 1871.
t Geological Survey of Ohio, Geology, volume i, page 586.

64 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

diameter was 400 feet, and its walls extended down the bluff to
the former channel of the creek which has wandered northward a
S(iuare or more, evidently since this inclosure was built, leaving' a
small flood-plain throuj;'h which a channel was cut for lake boats about
the year 1H70.

A few pieces of pottery and stone implements have been found in
and about these inclosures; but they are not authentic as relics of
those who constructed the earthworks, nor of their early occupants.

The later Aborigines, and the early French fur buyers also occu-
]iied some of them, if not all. The latter probably erected stockades
on their ridges to protect their stocks of brandy and trinkets for trade.
The number and situation of these earthworks make it improbable
that the early European traders built them.

At the dawn of history in this Basin, and for many years there-
after, the Iroquois or Five Nations of New York were at war with the
Miamis and the Illinois tribes, and it is probable that those aggressive
and generally successful warriors used these inclosures, if they did not
build them, as rallying jioints, and as means of defense when hard
pressed, on their long campaigns. The three by the lower Maumee
were well situated to guard their route against their enemies to the
northward; and those in northeastern Indiana to guard against the
Miamis, whose headquarters at the head of the Maumee were within
easy reach of the two lowest enclosures hy the St. Joseph River. If
defeated at one rallying point, retreat to the next one could be
easily made.'^

Similar circular ridges of earth in Southern Ohio, and farther
south, have been termed sacred enclosures; the smallest ones hut
rings, and the largest ones lodge sites or walls embracing and pro-
tecting a collection of lodges, to the number of even one hundred. t

The Aborigines as First Described.

The American Aborigines when they first saw Europeans were
awe-struck by the size of their ships, and by the accouterments,
conduct and general appearance of their visitors; and for a time the
foreigners were treated with native reverence begotten of fear and
wonderment. A short-time association, however, demonstrated to the
Europeans the savage nature of these primitive people.

Perhaps the best all-sided glimpses we get of some of the first

* The Iroquois had circular forts with stockades in New York in 1615; also the Wyandots ( Hurons ).
The Jesuits advised the latter to build tlieir forts in square form so that the Frencli ar'iuebuses at two
diattonal corners could protect the entire enclosure. The palisaded forts were probably built after the
suiifiestion of Europeans who supplied the metal axes for the work. See Parknian's Pioneers of
France in the New World, pa^'e 403. Also The Jesuit Relations.

^Eleventh Report of the Peabody Museum, vol. ii. pajies 347, 348.

CHARACTER OF THE ABORIGINES WHEN FIRST SEEN. 65

historical Aborigines whose descendants infested the Maumee River
Basin in later times, are from the Jesuits'^ who, from the year 1610,
traveled along the St. Lawrence River, north and south, and along the
Great Lakes. Their altars, chants, robes, and their kindly demeanor
made a great impression at first upon these Aborigines and, although
several priests later suffered great violence and death at the hands of
these savages, they were generally afforded good opportunities for
observing the characteristics and the wretched state of these children
of the wilds; and the refined spirits of these priests enabled them to
write forbearinglv of the multiform barbarities they could not prevent,
and which thev were compelled to witnt-ss and sometimes personally
experience.

While it is given to but few of the civilized and somewhat cul-
tured people to rise very high above childhood's estate, in many ways,
there was not one of these primitive people but who was childish in
the extreme, in most respects throughout life, although at times
exhibiting the ferocity of a tiger. The early record of them, given in
the writings of these missionaries, is but a continued series of contra-
dictions, with a great preponderance of unbridled savagery springing
from their primitive impulsive sensuousness. In most respects they
were but little above the savage wild beasts surrounding them, and in
some of their exuberances they were generally fiendish. While they
were at times somewhat amiable, they were licentious and impure.
They were lazy, rude, egotistical and boastful. At times generous and
liberal, they were generally improvident, selfish and full of banter.
With something of fortitude they were cowardly, importuning and with
much of inconstancy. Their fidelity was opposed by craftiness and
treachery : their charity by ingratitude, hypocrisy and deceit : their
modesty by assertions of their superiority. Their moods were
very changeable, but not so their filthy habits, pride and arrogance,
suspicion and jealousy : and among a long list of other indict-
ments are those of covetousness, thievishness, foulness of language,
ingratitude, malice, noisiness of manners, contempt for strangers,
faithlessness, with much of cruelty and ferocity and, often, worse
than the savage beasts in their want of natural affection for their
sick and afflicted progeny and aged kinsfolk, who were often either
killed outright, or left to starve and die alone and unprotected.

Thev were styled savages by the missionaries ; and a late writer
stvles them the fiercest savages known to history, and the most
wretched of the races of man.T

* Jesuit Relations of Travels and Explorations of the Jesuit Missionaries in New France.
1610-1791. Cleveland. I896-1W2, seventy-three volumes, 8 vo.

t The Jesuit Relations, Cleveland, 1896, vol. i, pages viii and 38,

66 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

Their bodies were generally of good height, well-proportioned,
lithe and vigorous, as no deformed or weakling one was permitted to
survive childhood. " Their complexion," wrote Rev. Joseph Jouvency,
"is the same as the French, although they disfigure it with fat and
rancid oil, with which they grease themselves : nor do they (the men)
neglect paints of various colors, by means of which they appear
beautiful to themselves, but to us ridiculous. Some may be seen with
blue noses, but with cheeks and eyebrows black ; others mark fore-
head, nose and cheeks with lines around the eyes and in different
directions and with various colors derived from earths, roots, etc., all
mixed with grease, so that one would think he beheld so many hob-
golilins. Others paint the entire body so as to resemble clothing at a
distance, or otherwise. Thev believe that in colors of this description
they are dreadful to their enemies, and that likewise their own fear in
line of battle will be concealed as by a veil ; finally, that it hardens the
skin of the body, so that the cold of winter is' more easily borne."
Some of them also indelibly tattooed the neck, chest, arms and cheeks
with powdered charcoal, by means of thorns, tlius portraying rude
outlines of birds or animals, such as the snake, eagle, toad, etc.
Occasional deaths were noted from this practice, probabl\' by blood-
poisoning from the impure rancid greases and other filth with which
the charcoal was mixed, and from their general uncleanly habits.

The hair was worn in different stvles. Some disposed of it from
the sides of the head and tied the central remaining part together so as
to stand upward ; others trained the hair downward over the temples.
All persistently pulled out the beard. Men and women alike, pierced
the lobes of their ears, and some their noses, making the holes as
large as practicable, and wore therein mollusk shells or whatever of
bright objects they could get.

Winter clothing was nearly alike for men and women. It was
composed of skins of animals fastened together with animal tendons
or strips of skin, and suspended from the shoulders or over one
shoulder and under the other and it extended generally to about the
knees. A belt was often worn and the robe was pouched over the
stomach thus forming a receptacle for personal belongings. Leggings
and moccasins were also worn out of doors; and sleeves, which were
large at the shoulders and nearly came together at the back. These
limb coverings were removed by all on entering the lodge ; and the
men usually disrobed to nudity excepting a piece of bark or skin sus-
pended from the waist in front which was their only summer covering.
Seldom was any covering worn on the head. Belts, necklaces and
l>racelets made of round clam shells or quahaug ( Venus mercenaria) or
from quills of the porcupine, were valued highly.

HABITATIONS AND FOODS OF THF ABORIGINES. 67

They moved from place to place with yreat facility. The women,
assisted by the children, did all the heavy work including the drawing
or carrying of all their meager belongings and the putting up of a
lodge or wigwam, when one was necessary in cold weather. The}'
would put up a teepee f tipi ) in from half hour to two hours by gather-
ing poles, sticking them in the ground, fastening the top ends together,
and covering the sides with skins, bark, branches of trees, moss or
mats made of rushes or tough grass. A hut was even more readily
built in the forest. An opening was left at the top for the smoke of
the fire to escape, which it did but imperfectly, causing much irritation
and injury to the eyes of the inmates with additional repulsiveness to
their general appearance and odor. Foliage of trees and grass was
sometimes laid on the ground and alone used, or covered with skins or
• mats for beds. A piece of bark or a suspended skin served as door if
such was thought necessary as a protection against cold winds. For
summer use, if to remain in one place for some length of time, broader
and longer cabins were sometimes built in form of arbors, bark and mats
being used for covering. These were often large enough to accommo-
date several families — as many as twelve being mentioned by Cham-
plain, two families using one fire in common. They had no chairs nor
other furniture and sat on the ground with their heels close to the body
and knees close to the chin.

They obtained fire by striking two hard stones together with glanc-
ing strokes ( one piece of iron pyrites and one piece of flint were pre-
ferred) over the dried skin of an eagle's thigh w'ith the down left on,
or over spunk or pulverized baik, which caught the sparks and served
as the first kindling. They also made fire by the friction method of
rotating a dry stick rapidly liack and forth between the hands, one
end being pressed against a dry stone or stick.

Their food, in winter particularly, was largely of meat obtained by
hunting, trapping and fishing, in which the men generally took the
lead, often making long and tedious journeys and suffering much from
hunger in the chase. Here, also, the women generally gathered dead
limbs of trees and made the fire, found the water, prepared the food,
preserved the meats by smoking and drying them, prepared the skins
and made the clothing, did much of the fishing, made and repaired the
canoes, snow shoes and utensils, and went for the game to the place
where their lords had killed and left it. The meat of the bear was
preferred on account of the large quantity of grease it contained. Eggs
of wild fowls were eaten, also wild fruits, berries, beans, nuts and
roots in their season. These people were, however, improvident, and
dire hunger sorely distressed them in unfavorable seasons. When not
pressed by enemies, some maize (corn, zea mays) was cultivated liy

68 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

the women, then either roasted on the ear, or pounded, wet with water
and baked between heated stones. The succotash, composed of corn,
beans and sometimes vegetables, boiled together, was a later dish after
the receipt of metal utensils from Europeans. Receptacles were made
of bark ( they possessed no metal utensils until supplied by Europeans )
in which meats and other food were placed with water and then more
or less cooked by means of heated stones dropped into the mess. They
had no salt for their food. Their meager culinary utensils were, like
their game, never cleaned — the more saturated they were with grease
the better — and they ])artook of the general filthiness of the lodge or
camp. They ate from their hand direct; and the hands of the men
and women, when dripping with grease, were wiped on their hair or
clothes. When otherwise particularh' or obnoxiously covered the
hands were wiped on the shaggy hair of a dog or rubbed with powdered
rotten wood or whatever was most convenient. Their nails were never
cut, nor particularK' cleaned. Water for bathing was not in favor:
vermin abounded on their persons and were eaten when caught.

These people were bred to savagery and war A slight offense
or injury, real or imagined, inflicted on any member of a band or
tribe would excite a desire for revenge, and war would generally
result. These conflicts were waged by small bands, by the entire
tribe or by a combination of tribes, according to circumstances
and conditions. Their weapons for warfare and against the wild
beasts were bows and arrows, javelins or spears and, for closer com-
bat, stone axes, stone tomahawks and clubs of wood or stone heads.
Their bows were made of hickory, oak, ash, and sometimes of softer
woods, often reinforced along the back with rawhide. These bows
were operated with strings of rawhide or twisted hemp bark (cannabis
sativa). The arrows were feathered at the heel and often pointed at
the head with flint or bone. Possibly some of these points were some-
times dipped in the juices of poisonous plants and then dried, for use
against their enemies: but the general uncleanly conditions were suffi-
cient to account for all inflammations and lilood poisonings authenti-
cally recorded from their use. The weapons were generally carried in
belt or skin quiver. The axes and tomahawks were hafted with withes
wrapped around them and, later, covered with wet rawhide which
shrunk, on drying, and formed a stiff, serviceable handle. Firm wood
was sometimes shaped as handles by burning to the desired length and
then scraping with flints. Occasionally one protected himself against
enemies by a shield made of bark covered with rawhide. A few
warriors also wore for a time armor for body and limbs made of dried
rawhide or of braided twigs, strips of bark or hemp. Probably the
idea of armor and of shield was obtained from the earlier Europeans.

■ THE FIERCEST SAVAGES KNOWN TO HISTORY. 69

Both shields and armor were but little emploved on account of their
interfering with their movements through the woods and the free use
of their bodies in battle. All their jiowers of deception, stealth and
treachery were employed in their campaigns against and in the attack-
ings of their enemies. The chief desire was to surprise, by ambush or
stealthy approach, the party they wished to assail, and in the confusion
and panic that followed to slay or capture as many as possible. No
attempt was made to maintain a regular order and line of battle: in
fact the war-chief, like their other nominal leaders generally, had little
if any control after the combat began. Those of the enemy slain, or
wounded so they could not walk well, were scalped.

Captives were generally very desirable for slaves or, if particularly
obnoxious enemies, they were subjected to the most fiendish tortures
according to the convenience, mood and degree of frenzy of the captors
and their women or friends. They were generally stripped of clothing
and forced to run the gauntlet between rows of their tormentors who,
armed with whips, thorns, sharp sticks, clubs, and other articles,
goaded, beat and lacerated the limbs and body until the poor victim
often fell bleeding and exhausted; when he was left to revive, to be
again beset with new tortures — his nails torn from his fingers by their
teeth, the fingers crushed or cut off, his limbs broken, his scalp re-
moved, his limbs pierced by sharji sticks and the nerves drawn out,
his wounds burned by live coals of fire and blazing torches which were
applied to the most sensitive parts. Pieces of roasted flesh would be
cut or torn from the limbs, eaten by the jiersecutors and their children,
or thrust down the throat of the sufferer. If he showed great fortitude
and endurance the torment was continued from day to day intermit-
tingly ; his blood was applied to freshly made openings in the skin of
his tormentors that they might therefrom become imbued with his forti-
tude; he was made to walk through fire; his flesh was lacerated and
burned in new places ; he was tied to a stake and a slow fire kindled
under him and more of his flesh distributed and eaten. Finally, when
the victim was exhausted and could be made to suffer no more, his
heart was torn out and eaten that the\' might thereby receive his
braverj' and endurance.

Each individual and tribe endeavored to exceed the others in their
atrocities. The women generally entered into these fiendish acts with
high glee ; and while women captives were generally treated with less
atrocity, and were often adopted into the tribe and married by their
captors, they occasionally suffered the same fate as the men.

Captive children, if strong, were generally kept, and the youths
and less obnoxious captives were also sometimes saved from mutilation

10 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

and death and subjected to slavery or adopted. The stronger tribes
increased in numbers materially by such captures. M

The scalps of enemies were considered great trophies. They were M

at first suspended from the belts of their takers, and then dried, painted
and displayed by the women inside the lodges, or outside on poles, that
all members of the camp, young and old, might continually be im-
pressed with the jirowess of the possessors of the largest number.

The heads of the vanquished were sometimes severed as trophies
and their limbs were occasionalh' removed and carried away for food,
as all of these warring tribes were cannibals.

There was no tendenc}- among these Aborigines toward the better-
ing of their very low, savage condition at the time of the coming of the
Europeans early in the seventeenth century. They possessed nothing
that could be called government in general. Individualism and im-
pulse were the rule, ever varying with the condition and mood. There
were no laws, no magistrates, no regular marriage ceremony, no code
of ethics or of morals. Their social relations were meager, consisting
mostly of their loose combinations for war, feastings and dances.

Their industries were of the most primitive kind. The forming of
canoes from bark represented their most skillful handiwork. Some
there were who fashioned snares and traps for wild animals, including
fish, of strings and mats. They were not workers of metals other than
of native hematite or blood iron ore, fragments of which they dressed
as they did stones, and of native copper fragments which they pounded
by stones into somewhat of the forms desired ; but of these there were
comparatively few articles.

Their weapons and implements, other than of wood and bones of
lower animals, were of flint and other hard stones (see ante page 58 ).
Some of the knives, tools, implements and weapons of the Stone Age
used by them were well formed; but whether the better class of these
articles were made by these tribes or whether they were obtained from
the southern tribes by trade or conquest, is not definitely known. But
few utensils were made, and the ever-ready bark of trees, in various
kinds and thicknesses, was the principal material employed. Recep-
tacles for carrying smaller articles were made of skins of animals as
well as of bark. Occasional pieces of rude pottery were in use, but
their generally broken condition and the few fragments found here have
led to the inference that these articles, like their better stone articles,
were brought from the more sedentary people to the southward.

Ornaments of stones, shells, bones, birds' claws, etc., were also
used. These articles, like their weapons, were quite uniform in
material, form and finish, as found throughout the States, north, south,
east and west, during later years, which indicates that their manufac-

THE DOG. AMD AMUSEMENTS OF THE ABORIGINES. 71

ture was carried on by the more mechanical tribes to the southward,
and that the tribes had remarkable wide range, perhaps both in trade
and conquest alternately. Their stone articles were gradually dis-
carded at the coming of Europeans with metal weapons, utensils,
and ornaments, to trade for furs.

Thev had no svstem of writing; but there was in occasional use
something of a code of communication by means of small sticks, indi-
cating number or direction, left in the probable track of following
friends; and in imitation of south-western peoples or, later, in imita-
tion of the Europeans. There were also crude efforts in pictography
on pipes, rocks, skins, etc.

The only domesticated animal they possessed was a shaggy,
wolfish dog. It was kept in considerable numbers, was serviceable in
the hunt, particularly^ of the bear, and was used sometimes by the
women to assist in drawing on poles their belongings from one camp-
ing place to another. These dogs were generally close attendants and
often supplied the family meat by their own bodies, both in times of
feasting and of scarcity in the hunt.

Their peaceful hours were mostly passed in recovering from the
fatigues of battle or the chase, or from the ill effects of the feasts.
Badgerings of one another were often indulged in, and games in which
the gambling phase was uppermost. The game of straws was a favor-
ite one and was played with great dexterity and vivacity. The straws
employed were of three lengths, the greatest length being about ten
inches. The game appeared at times something like that of jack-
straws, but generally Europeans did not gather an understanding of it.
A game, designated crosse by the Jesuits, was also frequently played,
and this is the source of the modern game Lacrosse. A game of
dish was another common one. It was played with plum seeds, about
six in number, one side of each being darkened. They were caused to
bound and turn by striking the bark dish containing them on the
ground, and the player having uppermost the greatest number of a
certain color was the winner. The fascination of the gambling feature
in these games often led to the complete impoverishment of one or more
players at each game bv the loss of his weapons, clothing and trinkets.

Fastings were compulsory by nature, following their engorgements,
and at times on account of their improvidence in years of plenty against
the severe seasons when they could not hunt, or when there was a
dearth of game and of vegetable products.

Feastings and dances were common when food was obtainable, to
celebrate any event or to work off any exuberance of spirit, and glut-
tony was habitual. Their 'eat-all' or 'leave-nothing' feasts resulted,
in times of plenty, in the great gorging and distress of the partakers.

72 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

for he who could eat the most was the greatest among them. These
feasts were great drains on the possessions of their givers.

The feast of all most generally and widely participated in, was
called the feast of the dead. The bones of their deceased friends and
of animals, on account of their enduring nature, were endowed with
superstitious beliefs of their future rehabilitation, and these supersti-
tions gave rise to various forms of their deposition, and peculiar rever-
ence to them and to the place of their deposit. The flesh, on account
of its ready decay, was an obnoxious substance to be gotten rid of as
soon as possible. At first the body was enveloped in furs and liuried
in a shallow grave, often in their sitting posture with heels and knees
close to the body ; or sometimes placed in a tree. On the battle-field,
or near the enemy, their slain were hurriedly secreted and covered with
leaves or whatever was most convenient. At irregular intervals feasts
of the dead were proposed by the older persons, and as many influ-
enced to participate in them as practicable, even of other tribes when
good will existed. On these occasions, ever}' eight, ten, twelve or more
years, the dead, wherever buried, were brought together at the central
point agreed upon. The flesh still present was stripped from the
bones and cast away, and the bones were carried into the family lodge
or assembled in the largest cabin to await the return of the most distant
bodies. The bones of as many as one hundred deceased persons were
thus seen gathered for the final leave taking of the friends ; and some-
times the emotion there displayed was in great contrast to the indiffer-
ence manifested at other times in the abandonment of the sick or aged to
wild beasts or to starvation. The ceremonies at these feasts consisted
of examination and leave-taking of the bones, the giving of presents,
athletic contests, dances in which the women often led in song and,
finally, in the deposition of the bones in one place, either in a pit or on
the ground, rather y)romiscuously, and then the covering of them,
sometimes fiy a mound of earth like the prehistoric mounds described
on previous pages. These were great occasions in the longer intervals
of peace when the food supply was plentiful, and many joined in the
ceremonies with liberal presents to the dead, many of which presents
were retained by the chief managers and others were distributed by
throwing them high to be scrambled for by the multitude. Rude drums
and rattles were sometimes the accompaniments to their dancing and
chanting.

The mortality of these savage people from exposure and disea'se
was great, particularly among children. The mothers were generally
prolific, liut, having all the heavy work to do and being at a great dis-
advantage in their nomadic life and from the indifference of the men,
many accidents and willful mishaps befell them. It was estimated

THE SORCERERS AND MEDICINE MEN.

that not one child in thirtx lived throut;li childhood. From their gor-
mandizing and other excesses, diseases were common among the adults.
There were neither nurses nor delicacies for those seriously or long-
sick. The only attention they received was from the sorcerers, who
were wholly ignorant regarding diseases and of the science and art of
medicine for their cure. Their following was wholly from superstition.
Their efforts for the cure or advice of their patrons consisted of the
crudest jugglery and generally hastened the death of all persons weak-
ened by disease. These sorcerers were called priests, prophets,
diviners tiy dreams from something of hvdromancx', necromancv and
pyromancy; soothsayers, magicians, etc., of primitive type. They
were considered more intelligent than the generality of their people
and were chiefs in most affairs. They invented the legends and
repeated as much of the traditions as suited their desires. Their
words were listened to with awe. They were vaguelv and varioush'
religious: and they were made more awe-inspiring bv the displa\" of
peculiarly shaped articles of stone and slate, or of unusual lirightness,
also by hideous attire and trappings, monotonous movements or

Piehisluric Tubes, luund aluiwi tlie banks wi tlu Mauiiiee and Aui^laize Rivtrs jiear Detiance.
There are several theories reuardinn their use. Perhaps they were used by the sorcerers in their
incantations. The shortest one has been called a tobacco pipe. Like most of the otiiers, it is a good
whistle. The hour-class form is very rare. It is of line-erain uranite, and the others are of slate. In
the Author's Collection.

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

dances ' accompanied by intonations of the most unmeaning sem-
blance of words that came to the tongue and which none of the users,
even, understood. In these and other ways these sorcerers hypnotized
their auditors to a degree and nourished the superstition in which their
influence consisted. With grotesque accouterments, incantations and
ceremonial olijects they sought or pretended to relieve the sick by
driving or drawing the pain or maladv away, by sucking or blowing
through tubes, by tappings with crescentic articles of slate ; or by
efforts to exorcise it with ridiculous tricks, or hideous noises that were
very prostrating and disastrous to one in low jihysical condition. Ex-
tremes of sweatings and then of dashings of or into cold water were
sometimes employed after seeing the bathings of Englishmen. Also,
after viewing the medicine chests of the Europeans and witnessing their
administration of medicines to their sick, the Aborigine sorcerers pre-
pared and administered compounds without reason or formula, but as
an addition to their ever varying pretences. Generous payment in
furs and other articles of trade was expected and received by these
l)retenders.

'<^i'

•*:

.11: !

mmmm %

AN ABORIGINE MEDICINE MAN.
(From Catlin)

EXPLORATION OF SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN.

CHAPTER IV.

Explorers — Cartographers — Aborigines — The British Succession.

1615 TO 1766.

Frenchmen began to explore the shores of the Great Lakes early
in the seventeenth century. In the year 1615 Samuel de Champlain
visited the Wyandots (Hurons) at Lake Huron, and passed several
months among them and in visiting other tribes during that summer
and the following winter. He probably traveled in winter along the
western and southwestern shores of Lake Erie, and thus obtained a
better understanding of some of this lake's tributaries and of the
Aborigines than of the breadth of it, which he represented too narrow
in his map as published in 1632. While the lakes of the central part
of this map, here shown, are out of proportion, the reader will readily
recognize what was drawn for the Maumee and its tributaries.

£ iro w ^ J

2 iS ^ 2 jA/ 2i 7 / xti/ 2 ff f 2 <fc, / 1^/ / i<r^ , i .y? ' f ^^ 2 <?j-

-.J 2^,5 . 3/^ j^O

Central part of Champlain's Map published in 1632. ' Mer Douce' is Lake Huron.'

*This map and the next eight maps of Lake Erie and the Maumee River, are taken from Winsor's
Narrative and Critical History of America, vohime iv. by permission of Houghton, Mittln and
Company, publishers, Boston.

This map is also given in The Documentary History of the State of New York, volume iii.
Albany, 1850.

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

Probably Champlain did not explore all these regions in person,
but gathered his information largely from the imperfect description
given b\' the Aborigines. The very meager and untrustworthy descrip-
tions given by the Aborigines may account for manv of the imperfec-
tions, including disproportions, of the early maps of this broad forest
region. The rejiresentations of Aborigine lodges, and swamps, and
the shadings of Champlain's work, are omitted from the outline repro-
duction of this very interesting map.

Carte CenSrale des Gostes de f Am^rique, by Covens and Mortier, 16.')4-5.5 ? Tlie Afer Douce
at the left is Lake Huron, and southward are sketched Lake Erie and tlie Maumee River.

Another map without name or date, but probably drawn between
the vears 1640 and l(i50, shows Lake Erie in better form than does

Sanson's Map. 1656.

THE FIRST FRENCH MAPS.

Champlain's map, but Laku Huron is too widely separated, and dis-
connected. This map like many others of early times, omits portages
or the proximity of headwaters.

A General Map of the Coasts of America was published in Amster-
dam, Holland, by Covens and Mortier in the year 1655 or before. It
is here reproduced in outline.

Nicolas Sanson, Royal Geographer of France from IfUT to 1H67,
made a map bearing date 1656, a part of which is here reproduced.

Pere du Creux, whose name
is often written Creuxius, ]iro-
duced a map in 1660 which also
shows Lake Erie and its tribu-
taries.

Soon after this date if not
before, the Jesuits sketched a
ma]i in which the Maumee River
is prominently shown as the
only tributary to the southwest-
ern part of Lake Erie. '

It appears probable that the
intrepid and illustrious French
explorer Sieur de la Salle not
only passed up the Maumee

Map by Creuxius. 166(1. Central part. River and down the Wabash tO

his discovery of the Ohio and
Mississippi in the fall of 1669,
but that he returned along these
rivers during the winter, spring
or summer of 1670, thence along
the western shore of Lake Erie,
and northeastward to the Ot-
tawa River in Canada, where
the voyageur writer Nicolas Per-
rot saw him that summer. t
The maps of this new coun-

The Jesuits' Earl.v Map. Central part,

trv produced soon after this

date show important changes, and evidence the above claims regarding

* See Francis Parkman's La Salle and the Great West, paue 4.^2.

tThere has been much of research and speculation by writers reKardinn the whereabouts of
La Salle duriny the autumn of 1669, and the year or two next following'. The reader who desires to
pursue this subject is referred to those writincs, and to the Ohio Archaeological and Historical Quar-
terly for .^pril. 1903, volume xii. paye 107 et set?., where Charles E. Slocuin has gathered evidence of
La Salle's travel along the Maumee and Wabash.

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

La Salle. The Ohio River is in them first traced, but near enough
to the Maumee for easy iiortage. This is the case in Joliet's smaller
ma]) of XWi'l, and in an anonvmous map of the Basin of the Great Lakes

of al)out the same date.
Sketches of the central
parts of these maps are
here given.*

The Wabash River
was traced on Jean Bap-
tiste Louis Franquelin's
map in 1682, showing
its origin in a lake near
the Maumee, according
with statement in the
preserved fragment of
one of La Salle's letters,
and with the swampy
condition of the early
drainage channel of the
Maumee Glacial Lake
southwest of Fort
Wayne, Indiana, which
swamp remained un-
drained until the latter
half of the nineteenth
century. This map by
Franquelin, however,
traced the Wabash into the Illinois River, an error that was corrected
in his map of 1684, which map is more in detail and quite accurate
in many respects.

The next year (1685) Minet published his Carte de la Louisiane
which, though not accurate, shows the Maumee River, the portage
southwest, the Wabash River springing from a lake, and the route to
the Mississippi. J Other maps were published during the latter part

RENE ROBERT CA\'ELIEK, SlEl'R DE LA SALLE. t

Born 25 November, 1643, at Rouen, France. Was assassinated
19 March. 1687, in Texas.

"^ The legend in Joliet's map was written below the Ohio River at a much later date than the
making of the map. The figures in the map of the Great Lakes refer to a written list of explanations,
samples of which are here given, viz: 21, Riviere Ohio ainsy apelike par les Iroquois a cause de sa
beaut^ par ou le Sr. de la Salle est descendu. 22, Les Illinois [Aborigines]. 23, Baye des Kentayentoga
[Water-way of the Kentucky .^boriginesl. 24, Les Chaouenons. 25, Cette riviere baigne un fort beau
pays ou Ton trouve des pommes, des grenades, des raisins et d'autres fruits sauvages. Le Pays est
decouvert pour la plus part, y ayant seulement des bois d'espace en espace. Les Iroquois ont d^truit
la plus grande partie des habitans dont on voit encore quelques restes. Narrative and Critical History
of America. Houghton, Mifflin, and Company, Roston, 1884, volume iv, page 216.

t From Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History, volume v, copyright, 1901, by Harper
& Brothers.

t Narrative and Critical History of America, volume iv. page 237.

THE LATER FRENCH MAPS.

of the seventeenth century and early part of the eighteenth, showing
more or less of these features, particularly the maps by Raffeix in 1688,

by Hennepin in 1HSI7, and by La
Montan in 1703 and 1709.

Previous to this time the
British had no special carto-
graphers in America. The 2Hth
November, 17 0 0, Richard
Coote Earl of Bellomont, Gov-
ernor of New York, in his re-
])ort to the Lords of Trade in
London, stated that

The French have mightily impos'd

Basin of the Great Lakes, 1672. Central part ot
the Map.

on the world in the mapps they have
made of this continent, and our Geogra-
phers have been led into grosse mis-
takes by the French mapps, to our very
great prejudice. It were as good a
work as your Lordships could do, to
send over a very skillful surveyor to
make correct maps of all these planta-
tions and that out of hand, that we may
not be cozen'd on to the end of the
chapter by the, French.

This suggestion was favor-
ably acted upon after further
evidence from 'Doc' Cadwalla-
der Golden Surveyor General
of New York who, in a Memoir

Joliefs spialler map, 1672. Central part. The le-
i;end under the Ohio River is of later date.

on the Fur Trade of 10th No-
vember, 1724, wrote that 'the
French have been indetatigable
in making discoveries and car-
rying on their commerce with
Nations of whom the English
know nothing, but what they
see in the French Maps and

FraiiQuelin's Map of 1682. Books. '

The Cdureurs de Bois.

These early maps prove conclusively that Frenchmen passed up
and down the Maumee River in the seventeenth centurv of whose

* See London Docuinents XIII and XXIII, New York Colonial Documents volume iv. pape 796,
and volume v, page 727.

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

Sv^E .-T/f i

journevinsis no other record than these majis has been preserved. Prob-
ably the swarms of French cour-
eurs de bois, bush or forest rang-
ers'"' were the first to pass along
the lake shores and the larger
rivers, in every direction, with
brand\- and small stocks of
trinkets to trade with the Abo-
rigines for their more valuable
furs, even long before the rec-
ords of the missionaries began.
On account of the prohiliit-
ing of trade to all others than a

Fianquelin's Map of 16H4. Central part.t

licensed company or two, and of the many other monarchical require-
ments of State and the restrictions of the Church, many of the early
French immigrants preferred life in the forests with the Aborigines, unre-
strained by any of the proprieties of civilization. Reversion to barbar-
ism, to turn traitor to civilization, is far easier to many persons than to
keep step with the rigid, virtuous demands of advancing civilization.
The character of manv of these early immigrants had been bad
in their native land, of many of the coureurs de bois and soldiers par-
ticularly-, prison doors having been opened to people these forests;
and the open forest ways to libertinism, with the Aborigines who
knew no morals, were very attractive. These people at once advanced
to popularity with the savages who soon became addicted to their
brandy and granted them every privilege. Their communication with
the Aborigine women of every tribe and band was without restaint;
and thus the French blood was early and freely mixed in the succeed-
ing generations. Thev became defiant and the Government, and the
Church, could neither control nor restrain them. J

'■^ More commonly called in New England and New York bushlopers and swampiers and. by the
Hollanders, bos loopers. In the year 17(X), it was lamented by some British officials that they had no
such representatives in the forests. London Doc. XIII, N. Y. Col. Docs. vol. iv, paize 650.

t This map, and the precedinc eipht maps showinir Lake Erie and the Maninee River, were taken
from the Narrative and Critical History of America, vol. iv, published by Honshton, Mifflin, and
Company, Boston.

t M. Talon, in his Memoir to King Louis XIV, under date of 10th November. 1670, writes regard-
inn the coureurs de bois as follows: The edict enacted relative to niarriaces has been enregistered.
and, proclaiming the intention of the King, I caused orders to be issued that the volunteers (whom on
my return, I found in very great numbers, living in reality like banditi ) should be excluded from the
1 .aborigine! trade and hunting; they are excluded by the law also front the honors of the Church, and
from the Communities I Commt/naufesI if they do not marry fifteen days after the arrival of the ships
from France Iwith women for this purposel. I shall consider some other expedient to stop these vaga-
bonds; they ruin, partially, the Christianity of the Aborigines and the commerce of the French who
labor in their settlements to extend the Colony, It were well did his Majesty order me, by lettre de
Cachet, to fix them in some place where they would participate in the labors of the Communaute. Paris
Document I, N. Y. Col. Docs. vol. ix. page 65.

COUREURS DE BOIS: BRITISH-FRENCH WARS. 81

Their numbers increased and, as the strictures of the authorities
became more rigidly enforced in the French market, they carried their
accumulations of peltries to the English markets which caused new and
great alarm to the French companies and Government. Efforts to
restrain them from this practice led to something of an organization
among them, and to special rendezvous. It was also soon learned by
the authorities that a brother-in-law of their leader Du Lhut was near
the Governor, and an officer in his guards.'^ Force proved a damage
to the Government and the palliative method was adopted. Amnesty
was afterwards granted them and, as the population increased and the
comjianies' trade extended in all directions further into the forests,
they were eniitloyed as guides and voyageurs to and through the wilds
before visited by them. They had (ireviously penetrated everj' region,
near and remote; had dwelt among the Miami Aborigines, the Illinois,
the Sioux, and even the AssiniboinsT < in the present Canadian
province of Assiniboia) some having been absent one year, others
two, three, and more years on their private explorations.!

The British, being now largely deprived of the trade of the coureurs
de bois, deemed it the more necessary to urge their own traders with
the Aborigines to extend their range : and they employed the Five
Nations also. The result of this aggressive action contributed a local
coloring to the British-French wars that continued to be frequentl}'
waged, with North America, constantly increasing in importance, as
the prize to the victor.

The British-French Wars from 1013 to 1747.

The British have alwavs been an aggressive people, in new coun-
tries particularly; and the French have not always been behind in
urging their own claims, and in disiniting the claims of others. Wars
between these nations, and between people of these nationalities in
America, were frequently the rule for many years. France claimed
the right to central North America from her claim of being the first to
discover it in the voyages of John Verazzano who sailed from her jiort

* Paris Document 11, New York Colonial Documents, volume ix. page 131. Ilbld. pane 1.53,

- The general stimulus to individual, and clandestine, fur trade is described by Cadwallader
Golden in 1724 as follows; The Barrenness of the Soil and the coldness of the Climate of Canada,
obliges the greatest number of the Inhabitants to seek their living by travelling among the Aborigines
or by trading with those that do travel. The Governor and other officers have but a scanty allowance
from the King. & could not subsist were it not by the perquisites they have from this Trade, Neither
could their Priests find any means to satisfy their ambition and Luxury without it. So that all heads
& hands are employed to advance it and the men of best parts think it the surest way to advance
themselves travelling among the Aborigines and learning the Languages even the Bigotry A: Enthusiasm
of some hot heads has not been a little useful in advancing this commerce, N. Y. Col. Docs, volume
V, page 737, Compare, also. Volney, 371; the Jesuit Relations, volumes 69. 70. etc.

82 . THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

in the years 1523-24. In this claim they ignored the claim of the
British from the voyages along the Atlantic coast from the Carolinas
to Labrador in 1497-98 by John and Sebastian Cabot who sailed from
Bristol, and whose reports of Newfoundland and its Banks induced
English, Breton and Norman fishermen to ply the'ir vocation there
long before Verazzano's voyages. There were, consequently, disputes
between the British and French regarding America from their first
meeting here. January 2, ItilS, the French complained of outrages
committed by the English on the coast of Canada. At the organiza-
tion by Richelieu of the Comjianx' of New France in 1627, four armed
vessels convoyed a fleet of eighteen transports laden with 135 cannon,
soldiers, supplies and emigrants, to reinforce and fortify Quebec.
They were captured bv an English fleet that was already on the way
to destroy the French settlement there. The capture of the town was
delayed until lUth July, 1629: but it was soon restored to the French
on account of the treaty between these nations 24th April, 1629,
which was not then known to the commander of the distant fleet.
Notwithstanding treaties, each nation continued anxious to extend its
domain m America and continued to infringe on the settlements estab-
lished bv the other. The French claimed not only Canada, but the
country of the Iroquois (Five Nations.) in -New York, and southwest-
ward to the Gulf of Mexico. The British desired to restrict them to
the country north of the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes.
King Louis XIV of France became alarmed at the success of the
English in acquiring New Netherlands from the Hollanders by con-
quest and, upon the English declining to exchange this territory with
the French or to restore it to the Dutch, the first formal war to materi-
ally affect these nationalities in America was declared by France against
England January 29, 1666. Chevalier de Courcelles Governor of
New France (Canada) liad invaded New York to punish the Mohawk
Aborigines, and it was there that he learned from his pickets of the
reduction of the Dutch i)rovince to English rule, whereupon he
exclaimed 'the King of England does grasp at allAmerica.' It is not
known that this war had any effect upon the F"rench then wandering
through the lake region or upon the natives surrounding them. It spent
its force in the provinces of the East and at sea. It closed with the
Treaty of Breda, proclaimed January 1, 1668 •. but the French persisted
in claiming the Iroquois and their country, and in their efforts to re-
duce them to their subjection, which resulted in many retaliations by the
British. Lord Howard, Governor of Virginia, visited Albany in 16S4
and made a treaty with the Five Nations (Iroquois) of New York and
received from them title to their well sustained ( by might ) claim to
the country along Lakes Erie, St. Clair and Huron, and westward to

QUARRELS BETWEEN THE BRITISH AND FRENCH. 83

the Illinois; and subsequent treaties confirmed this grant, and the
subjection of these tribes to the British.*

A further glimpse of the increasing desire to retain the favor of
the Aborigines by keeping them free from the influence of the rival
nation, and of the temper of the chief English official in America, is
found in Governor Thomas Dongan's letter from Albany, New York,
22nd May, 1686, to M. de Denonville, then Governor of New France,
which reads in part as follows :

I have sent for the five nations of the Aborigines that belongs to this Government
to meet me at this place, to give them in charge, that they should not goe to your side
of the great lakes, nor disturb your Aborigines and traders, but since my coming here I
am informed, that our Aborigines are apprehensive of warr. by your putting stores into
Cataract [Niagara] and ordering some forces, to meet there ; I know you are a man of
judgment, and, that you will not attack the King of England's subjects, being informed,
that those Aborigines with whom our Aborigines are engaged in warr with are to the
west, and southwest of the great lakes, [in part in the Maumee River Basin], if so. in
reason you can have no pretence to them, it is my intention that our Aborigines shall
not warr. with the farr Aborigines, whither they do or not it does not seem reasonable,
that you should ingage yourself in the quarel of Aborigines ; we pretend, too, against our
own Aborigines, whither these territoryes belong to our or the French King, is not to be
decided here, but, by our masters at home, and your business and mine, is to take mapps
of the Contry so well as wee can and to send them home for the limits to be adjusted
there. I am likewise informed that you are intended to build a fort at a place called
Ohniagero on this side of the lake within my master's territoryes without question. (I
cannot beleev it) that a person that has your reputation in the world, would follow
the steps of Monsr Labarr, t and be ill advised by some interested persons in your
Governt to make disturbance, between our Masters' subjects in those parts of the world
for a little pelttree [furs] ; when all those differences may be ended by an amicable corre-
spondence between us. If there be anything amiss, I doe assure you it shall not be my
fault, tho' we have suffered much, and doe dayly by vour people's tradeing within the
King of England's territoryes ; I have had two letters from the two fathers [priests] that
lives amongst our Aborigines, and I find them somewhat disturbed with an apprehension
of warr. which is groundless, being resolved that it shall not begin here, and I hope
your prudent conduct will prevent it there, and referr all differences home as I shall
doe.+

The French now (1686) numbered 17,000 in Canada, 3000 of
whom could be called upon to bear arms, and they became more watch-
ful against the British. This year twent>-nine 'Christians' (British
traders) and five friendly Aliorigines were arrested liy the French and
Ottawas along Lake Huron and 'jilundered of all the goods and mer-
chandizes which they had with them, which accordin.g to their compu-
tation would have purchased there about eight thousand Beavers.'

* London Document v, N. Y. Col. Docs., volume iii. pages 394. 417. 443. Plain Facts, Philadelphia
1781. pages 32, 23. Pownall's Administration of the Colonies. Narrative and Critical- History of
America, i. .304.

t Le Fevre de la Barre. the former Governor of New France who persisted in invading the
English territory and alienating the Iroquois natives of New York.

i London Document V. New York Colonial Documents volume iii. page 455.

84 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

The French and Ottawas about fifteen hundred in number, while tak-
ing these prisoners towards the east end of Lalve Erie, met Captain
MacKreRory with his troop consistinjj; of twenty-nine Christians, six
Aborigines, and eight jirisoners whom, by threatening to kill and putt
to the sword ettc' they also took prisoners, and 'all their goods and
merchandizes were also plundered . . which by cominitation would
have purchased to that troop eight or nine thousand Beavers.' .

One member of this last party caiitured, was shot b\ the French
on account of his being of French birth and a British subject. The
others were taken 'to a fort beyond the lake' (Ontario) where they
were obliged to work hard in strengtht'ning the fort. Later they were
sent to yuebec where they were ' put out to farmers and others for to
work for their victuals.' They were to be held as jirisoners until
Governor Dongan desisted from trading with the far Aliorigines and
from supplying the Senecas with ammunition and giving them assist-
ance against the French."

A treaty of neutrality for America between France and England
was entered into November 16, 16H6.

In 1689 the 'merchants and adventurers to and in New York and
the Colonyes adjacent' petitioned the King for the appointment of
Colonel Slater to the office of Governor of New York, and for soldiers
and supplies against the French, alleging that they have already
taken away a great part of our Bever trade, which is the only profitable
trade of those parts, and if they debauch the five nations of Aborigines
from us, as the want of a sufficient force to protect them will readily
tem])t them to, the whole Bever trade will be lost, and the province
of New York not able to subsist, but in a short time will fall into the
hands of the French. 't

In this year ( 16H9 ) another formal war began between Great
Britain and France and, although originating principally from home
causes, it materially affected their colonies in America. The French
emboldened by the success of their former plans, became more aggres-
sive even to the invasion of British settlements for the purpose of
retaliating for former real or imagined infringements of trade with
Aborigines, or for direct injuries sustained by marauding bands of

''' London Doc. V. N. Y. Col. Docs, volume iii, payes 436-37. Governoi- Uoniian reported to the
Privy Council as follows; I am sending a Scotch Gent, called McGrecer (that served formerly in
France) along with our people. Hee has orders not to disturb or meddle with the French, and I hope
they will not meddle with him. These expeditions were undertaken for the purpose of carrying back
the captive Aborigines taken by the Iroquois ' in order to the restoring them to their liberty & bury
their Hatchetts with those of their enemys, by which means a path may bee opened for these far Aborig-
ines to come with safety to Trade at Albany, and our people goe thither without let or disturbance' . .
Ibid, page 39.5. Colonel Patrick Magregorie was taken prisoner to Montreal; and was liberated by
orders from France in 1687 when he returned to New York.

1 London Document V, New York Colonial Documents, volume iii, page 6.52.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FRENCH AND BRITISH. 85

Aborigines supposed to be favorable to the British. The latter became
so annoyed by these incursions as to declare that the French 'must be
rooted out of America.'

The efforts of the Aborigines were the great source of the peltry
supply, and the competition in this trade was but a competition for
the friendship of the greatest number of them. The fickleness and
treacher}' of these savages had much to do in causing the bitterness
and clashings between the rival European nations. May 30, 1696,
Governor Fletcher reported to the English Lords of Trade that
'sculking partys of French and Aborigines disturb the people in their
husbandry who live upon the Fronteer but our Aborigines do revenge
that-part with better success upon the French.''

John Nelson, who had had twenty-six years experience with the
French in America, four and-a-half years as a prisoner, in a memorial
to the same Lords of Trade under date of 24th September, 1696, stated
the difference between the English and French modes of dealing with
the natives, and the cause of the latter's greater success as follows:
The Great and only advantage which the enemy [French] hath in those parts doth
consist chiefly in the nature of their settlement, which contrary to our Plantations who
depend upon the improvem' of lands. &c theirs of Canada has its dependance from
the Trade of Furrs & Peltry with the Aborigines, soe that consequently their whole
study, and contrivances have been to maintaine their interest and reputation with them,
which has been much augmented by that late foolish, and unhappy expedition from
New England by S"^ William Phips . . . wherein by fatall experience we may la\'
it downe as a maxime. That those who are masters of the Aborigines, will consequently
prevail in all places where they are neglected as we have too much done ; the French are
so sensible of this, that they leave nothing unimproved in this regard ; as first by season-
able presents; secondly, by choosing some of the more notable amongst them, to whom
is given a constant pay as a Lieutenant or Ensigne, &c, thirdly by rewards upon all execu-
tions, either upon us or our Aborigines, giving a certaine sume pr head, for as many
Scalps as shall be brought them fourthly by encouraging the youth of the Countrey in
accompanying the Aborigines in all their expeditions, whereby they not only became
acquainted with the Woods, Rivers, Passages, but of themselves may equall the
Natives in supporting all the incident fatigues of such enterprises, which they performe,
by advancing upon any exploite, the most forward and deserving, unto some office
amongst the regular troops. ... I have known one of this nature which did create
such an emulation, that if the Earl of Frontenac had not restrained their forwardness
for fear of leaving the Country naked, the whole body of their Youth would have per-
petually been out in parties, &c. Fifthly, but the great and most effectual means they
have taken for the confirming their Aborigines, and for the subverting or corrupting of
ours, is that for some years ever since the war, they have from time to time transported
into France some of the most eminent and enterprising Aborigines (not only of their
own, but of ours whom they have happened to take their prisoners) for no other intent
than to amaze and dazzle them with the greatness & splendour of the French Court
and Armie where the King hath so thought it worth his countenancing as to send them
into Flanders, where the ,\rmies have been expressly mustered before them to show

' London Document X, New York Colonial Documents, volume iv, paye 1.50.

86 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

their greatness, at the same time they are not wanting to insinuate to them our weakness,
poverty, and incapacity of protecting them, which they readily believe, not having any
other notion or Idea of Our Nation, force and strength then what they see from our poor
Settlements about them.*

Thus, in divers ways of seeking the alliance and trade of the
Aborigines, these two nationalities were kept in an almost constant
state of war in America which often assumed general and dire propor-
tions. Colonel Ingoldsby, in his statement to the Commissioners for
Trade and Plantations 16th July, 1697, wrote: . . 'This War
ruins the people; the Inhabitants are decreased in number. The
English and Aborigines were in very good Correspondence: But the
French outdo us much in caressing them.' . . The French were not
only active but ingenuous in their aggressiveness and warfare. It was
even charged against them that they instructed some of their natives in
the ways of poisoning natives friendly to the English, and they often
adopted the modes of warfare of the natives. They insinuated them-
selves into the favor of the powerful Iroquois to the degree that Gov-
ernor Earl Bellomont Vvas assured that 'the French have to the full
as many friends among the Onandaga Nation as we have.'

The British were also active in cultivating the friendship of the
Five Nations. Colonel Peter Schuyler, Dellius, and Major Wessells
made report to Governor Benjamin Fletcher of New York September
28, 1697, in part as follows:

Three Sachims and sevH Capt* of the Coyougers [Cayuga] Nation come to
Albany and made ye following proposalls : 'Brethren, Wee come here to lay before
you our poverty and that wee are menaced by the French and Tvvightwicks [Miami]
Aborigines, both our enemies. Wee beg that you'l please to assist us with powder and
lead that we may be capasitated to defend ourselves and anoy ye enemy (They lay down
two otters and four beavour skins). Brethren, Wee are sorry to have to tell you the loss
of our brethren the Sinnikes [Senecas] suffer'd in an engagement w'li ye Twichtwichts
[Miami] Aborigines ; our young men kill'd severall of the enemyt but upon their retreat
some of their Cheife Capts were cut off. You know our custome is to condole ye dead
by wampom, therefore we desire you to give us some for these Beavours' (see laid down
ten Beavr skins). The wampum was imediately given them for the said skins, and the
day following appointed for a conferance upon the first proposition made by them for
powder & lead &c+.

About this time another peace was declared from the Treaty of
Ryswick in 1697. But this peace was not to be operative for long in
America. The French, being now free to distribute their soldiers,
extended their lines of forts and posts. Their Post Miami, at the head
of the Maumee River, built about 1680-86, was re-built or strengthened

*Londoii Uocument X. New York Colonial Documents Volume iv. pa^'es 207, 20H.

t These tribes were at war in this Basin at the time of its discovery, and for many years there-
after.

t London Document X, New York Colonial Documents volume iv, page 294.

FRENCH FORTS AND BRITISH TRADERS BY THE MAUMEE. 87

in 1697 by Captain de Vincennes, who was very expressly forbidden
to trade in beaver.' *

The French also courted anew the favor of the Aborigines in this
western country, and invited them to a council and treaty in Montreal
in 1701, when they were feasted and confirmed in their friendship. The
first fort at Detroit, Fort Pontchartrain, was built this year by Antoine
de la Mothe Cadillac.

In 1702 Captain de Vincennes again passed through this Basin
establishing Posts, military or trading, along the Maumee River, and
along the Wabash as far southwest as Vincennes. Posts already
existed by the Maumee, but they required repairs, were not favorably
situated, or were not sufficient in number.

British traders had also been among these Aborigines, quietly;
also messengers from different Governors of New York inviting them
to visit Albany and council regarding trade.

Oueen Anne's War was declared against France Hth March, 1702,
from home causes, and was participated in by the American colonists
with great energy; nor did the war stop here with the Treatv of
Utrecht 11th April, 1713, which closed the war at home. The natives
of the East early entered into a treaty of neutrality with the British,
but the French induced them to violate it and, rallying in accumulating
numbers with the French, they perpetrated a long list of savage
butcheries including children, women, and members of the Societv of
Friends who had lieen especiallv friendly to them.

The British had become more alive to their trade interests in
regard to the far natives ' and had sent deputations among the Miamis
and other tribes of this Basin with favorable effect. The French had
claimed these Aborigines as their own for over half a centur\- and now,
desiring their aid, sent special presents to them in 1704 for this pur-
pose. They, however, continued to treat and trade with the British
whereupon M. de Cadillac moved against them with soldiers in 1707
and intimidated them, ayiparently, to the French cause. The following
year, however, found them again in Albany to council with Governor
Lord Cornbury and to deal with the British traders. This transit and
traffic became so regular that, in 1712, Captain de Vincennes was
again sent among the Miamis ' as a messenger of peace or war'
whereupon they again promised loyalty to the French. They could
not, however, yet resist the temptations of higher prices paid for
peltries and lower prices charged for goods offered by the British
traders who continued to entice them.

In. the year 1712 the Outagamie or Fox Aborigines, aided by the
Kickapoos and Mascoutins, attacked the post at Detroit and contin-

* Paris Document V, New York Colonial Documents Volume ix. paye 676.

S8 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

ued the siege with vigor for some days. The Ottawas, Wyandots,
Pottawotamis, Menominis, Illinois and Osages, friendly to the French
rallied to their aid and saved the post. The French charged that this
attack was instigated by the British, and they sought to retaliate in
every opportunity, and with widespread success.

The proclamation of the close of Queen Anne's War 11th April,
1713, stopped the more open hostilities of the French in the northeast
and enabled them to more quietly gain in other regions for their loss
of Acadia. Their widespread operations in this way against the
British are shown in Colonel Caleb Heathcote's letter to Robert
Hunter Governor of Virginia under date of 8th Juh', 1715, which
reads in part as follows :

It is undoubtedly by the management of the French that the fire is kindled in Caro-
lina, & they'le not be wanting in their endeavours to spread the (lame through the whole
Coast. . . the mischief is intended general. . . It is my opinion that it would be
very proper, with as little loss of time as may be, for your Excellency to desire a meeting
or congresse at some convenient place, of all or as many of the Governours on this conti-
nent as can with conveniency come & attend it ; where it may be considered &
resolved on, what measures to take for extinguishing the fire already begun, & to pre-
vent its increase ; for as every part of North America is struck at, so all our interests
are the same, & what number soever is wounded or hurt, the whole ought to reckon
themselves agrieved, and not carelessly suffer the French to angle us away, province by
province, till at last all will be gon ; and as it is impossible that we & the French can
both inhabit this Continent in peace, but that one nation must at last give way to the
other, so tis very necessary that, without sleeping away our time, all precautions
imaginable should be taken to prevent its falling to our lotts to remove.* .

In the year 17I() Sir Alexander Spotswood Governor of Virginia
opened a road over the Blue Ridge Mountain to Ohio lands, and in
this year the route, known and used by the French for fifty years or
more, up the Maumee River and down the Wabash was more openly
published as the most direct and best wav to the southwest ; but the
British were yet few in numbers who went so far from their eastern
settlements.

In September, 1717, the Illinois country was joined to Louisiana.
The activity of the French was now greatly increased, and several
times their successes in alienating the natives from the British, even
those natives immediately surrounding the British towns was so great
that the necessity for active retaliation seemed iiniierative. The Rep-
resentation of the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations
to the King upon the State of His [Britanic] Majesties Colonies &
Plantations on the Continent of North America' dated September the

*London Doc. XX, N. Y. Col. Docs, vol, v, pane 430. This letter contains the second suu^'estion
we lind for united action of the British Colonies, Plantations or Provinces. ' A Briefe and Plaine
Scheam . . by Mr. IWilliani I Penn ' . . January S, 1697, for this purpose, is tlie first suyyestion.
Ibid, iv, 390.

TRADE COMPETITION BETWEEN BRITISH AND FRENCH. 89

8th, 1721, shows that the French had won the friendship of nearly all
the Aborigines from New Ham|)shire to the Carolinas, excepting the
Iroquois of New York, whose alliance they several times nearly
secured. The Lords of Trade and Plantations realized the dangers of
the situation, and a paragraph in their report reads as follows :

Thus, by one view of the Map of North America. Your Majesty will see the
danger your subjects are in, surrounded by the French, who have robbed them of great
part of the trade they formerly drove with the natives, have in great measure cut of
their prospect of further improvements that way, and in case of a rupture, may greatly
incommode, if not absolutely destroy them by their native Allies. And although the
British Plantations are naturally fortified by a chain of Mountains that run from the
back of South Carolina as far as New York, passable but in a few places, yet should we
not possess those passes in time, this would rather prove destructive than beneficial
to us.* .

The full knowledge of their danger begot the lueans of their sal-
vation. The increase in number of the British in .\merica was greater
than that of the French. They also rallied to the necessity of giving
more and more attention to the Aborigines in general from the iiolicy
of both jirotection and trade. In greater numbers and to farther
distances thev followed the French along the water courses. Their
presents, their increased prices for peltries and their cheaper prices for
the goods exchanged for them were attractions for the natives that the
French could not fully continue to meet. The British looms had been
kept at work on various fabrics of the brightest colors expressly for
the American Aborigines. The French Comjianies could not bu\- their
goods as cheap as could the British, and 'the Duty the French Com-
pany is obliged to pav to the King . . enabled the Traders of New
York to sell their Goods in the .'Vborigine Country at half the price
people of Canada can, and reap twice the profit they do.'T Strouds
were sold at /Mbany, New York, for f 10 that commanded £'2o at
Montreal. In 17-4 British merchants of New York 'allow Traders
with the Aborigines double the Price for Beaver that the French
Company allow.' . . The prices had been advanced from three
shillings until five shillings New York money, or three shillings ster-
ling, were paid per pound for skins in New York, while in Montreal
the price was two livres or eighteen pence. + The French not being
able to keep the British traders from the natives in Central \\'estern
Ohio, endeavored to remove the Aborigines to the north and west, but
were not successful.

France declared war against Great Britain March l;"i, 1744, again
from European causes, and the British Colonists in America, now more

^London Document XXII, New York Colonial Documents volume v, page 623.
t London Doc. XXVII, New York Colonial Documents, volume v, page 730,

i The Chapter on the Maumee River cives tin thei klinipses of the increased activity of the British
throutih this Basin.

90 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

conscious of their strength, readily entered into the contest here under
the name of the War of King George II, and with a greater feeling of
local justification. In Europe this was known as the War of the
Spanish Succession. This vear the British effected another treaty with
the Six Nations at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, wherein was confirmed
their cession in 1684 of claims to lands along the southern shore of
Lake Erie and to the southwest. They also effected several other
treaties about this time, including one with the Ohio Aborigines.*
On account of the increased traffic and trade, the Maumee River
Basin experienced more of this war than of the others that had been
waged between these contending nations. In fact Ohio had become
the center for Aborigine warriors, and the increased peaceful successes
of the British with these Aborigines was becoming a more stjrious matter
with the French; and wherever traders of the former were reported,
parties or troops of the latter were dispatched for their arrest or dis-
lodgment. At the beginning of King George II's War, M. de Longueuil
commandant at Detroit, passed up the Maumee River with his body
guard and a company of Ottawas on their way to capture British
traders by the White River, Indiana. Many of those western tribes
were yet friendh' to the French and, in the summer of 1746, eight or
ten of the tribes were represented by warriors at Montreal ready to
enter upon any savage work to which the French could direct them.

The Conspiracy of Nicholas Against The French.

A number of the western tribes of Aborigines, however, were not
active with the French, and other tribes were divided. The Miamis of
the Maumee were not largely represented at Montreal at this time. The
Iroquois of New York were again divided, and the British by the
friendly members sent war-belts of wampum to the Hurons (Wyandots)
and the war-chief Nicholas with his band accepted the overture. From
the Paris Documents IX and X which are the French records of occur-
rences during the years 1747—48, the following statements relating to
the widespread influence of Nicholas in this Basin and its vicinit\'
are extracted, largely in the words there given, viz:

The Wyandots under Nicholas killed five Frenchmen who were on their return
from the post at White River [in the present Indiana] and stole their furs ; and all the
natives of the neighborhood, except the Illinois tribes have formed the design to destroy
all the French of Detroit on one of the holidays of Pentecost, and afterwards go to the
fort and subject all to fire and sword. Some Hurons having struck too soon, the plot
had been discovered by a Huron squaw who came to give M. de Longueuil, Commandant
of Detroit, notice of it. . . . Other Hurons came to assure him that they had no
share in the misconduct of Nicolas' people . . who have attached to them several

'■' Narrative and Critical History of America volume i, pages 3tX\ S0.5; also volume v, pages 487,
566, with notes and other references.

FRENCH REPORT OF THE CONSPIRACY OF NICHOLAS. 91

families of vagabond Iroquois, Loups, Sauts, etc. . . We are informed that all the
[western] Nations in general continue to be ill disposed to the French . . that those of
the Lake, Sauteurs and Outaouas [Chippewas and Ottawas] are on the eve of attacking
Detroit ; . . that the fort has lost almost all the cattle ; and fears that the garrison
will perish, being all at the discretion of the enemy.

A party of Miamis have come to dance the Calumet at the fort [Detroit] and
another section have been to visit Nicolas at Sandusky. The ceremony attendant on
the former has been very expensive ; their reception, the good cheer for the space of
fifteen days, and the presents which have been made to them with a view both to destroy
unfavorable impressions amongst them, and to protect the lives of the French who are
in their village, have cost a great deal.

Such was the state of affairs at Detroit on the 2.ith August, 1747. . The Mon-

treal convoy arrived safe in Detroit on the 'I'ind September, escorted by about l.iO men
including the merchants and their servants. This relief is the salvation of Detroit, and
has apparently made an impression on the Nations [tribes of Aborigines]. The Miamis
[of the Maumee River] and perhaps also the Ouyatanons [of the Wabash] are in dis-
order. The former allowed themselves to be gained over by the Belts of Nicolas, who
represented to them that Detroit had been razed by the Lake tribes ; that consequently
they could no longer defer killing the French who were among them. The Miamis have
listened to this message. They first seized eight Frenchmen who were in the fort of
that post [Fort Miami at the head of the Maumee] whom, however, they did not injure ;
they afterwards seized the property and burnt a portion of the buildings. Two of the
eight Frenchmen whom the Miamis had allowed to leave uninjured, arrived at Detroit
on the 7th of October, 1747. . . There are a great many peltries at Detroit, which
cannot be brought down [to Montreal] until next year. . . These nations [the Ottawas.
Chippewas and Pottawatamis] are only endeavoring to get their supplies out of us,
and to discover a favorable opportunity to betray us irrecoverably. Mr. de Longueuil
is consequently, obliged to ask us for a reinforcement of men and provisions, at
the very opening of spring. . . There are not provisions at Detroit for any length
of time.

M. Longueuil not being able to send any Traders to the Miamis until the Nation
return to its duty, sends back to Montreal Ensign Douville, who commanded at that post
[at the head of the Maumee] and who was at Detroit at the time the natives com-
mitted the pillage. . . The Miamis, who had formerly pillaged the fort and seized
the Frenchmen have sent [fall or winter of 1717] one of their principal chiefs to M.
de Longueuil to request him to send back some Frenchmen to them, and not to deprive
them of their indispensable supplies, promising him that order would be restored in a
short time. That officer yielded to their solicitation, with a view to deprive the enemy
[British] of the liberty of seizing a post of considerable importance. Ensign Dubuisson
whom he sent thither [at the head of the Maumee] is to form only a small establishment
there to winter in. He has been supplied with thirty Frenchmen to maintain himself
there, and is accompanied by thirty others destined for the Ouyatanons trade [down the
Wabash], with orders to the latter to rejoin Sieur Dubuisson in the spring, so as to
return together to Detroit.

Nicolas. Orotoni and Anioton, chiefs of the Huron [Wyandot natives] traitors,
came there [Detroit] to sue for peace, and to surrender the belts [of Wampum] which
have been the cause of this treason ; they have made speeches to which M. de Longueuil
has given an answer, but he doubts their sincerity. . . The post at Detroit will, it is
feared, run short of provisions in consequence of the great number of tribes continually
there, and who are to come from all parts this spring [1748]. A Frenchman has been
killed at the gate of the fort of the Miamis [at the head of the Maumee] it is supposed
by some Iroquois.

92 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

Nicolas' conduct is not free from equivocation ; the English of Philadelphia visited
him twice during the winter [1747-48], to trade, and they were well received. The scalp
belonging to the Frenchman who was killed near Fort Miamis, has been carried thither
[to Sandusky]. . The posts of the Miamis and at the River [St. Joseph] are not

in want of goods. . . The messages and proceedings of Nicolas are too suspicious to
be relied on. . . Presents are sent [from Detroit] by Cold Foot, a Miami chief, who
appears trustw-orthy.

Count de la Galissonniere [Governor of New France] writes to the commandants
of the posts of the Miamis, Ouyatanons, River St. Joseph, Sec. respecting what con-
cerns them ; and adds, that they ought to keep an exact and circumstantial journal of the
occasions wherein they are obliged to incur expenses for presents to natives. . . He
sends these officers a list of the voyageurs who are wintering with the natives, and of
the Coureurs de bois in order to their being sent back, so that they not return any
more to the Upper country.

Kinousaki had returned, on the 7th of .■\pril [1748], from the Miamis [Maumee]
River, whither he had gone to bring back the Hurons [Wyandots] who had deserted
from the village of Ostandosket [Sandusky] and reported that Nicolas, with 119 warriors
of his nation, men, women and baggage, had taken the route to the White River, after
having burnt the fort and the cabins of the village ; that the Outauas [Ottawas] had
given him (Kinousaki) a cool reception, and that a portion only of them would consent
to return to Detroit, the remainder wishing to settle at the lower end of the Miamis
[Maumee] liiver, where the Hurons had promised them the English would supply their
wants. . . The natives in and around Detroit have all sworn fidelity and obedience
to Chevalier de Longueuil . . who by four Belts, [of Wampun] put moccassins on
the feet of all the warriors so that they may be ready at a minute's warning.

Numerous war parties were fitted out in Montreal and at the west-
ern posts, for incursions against the British and their native allies; and
manv scalps, from one to twenty-five or more per war party, were
lirought in and payment for them collected. Further i^limpses of the
horrors of such ignoble warfare that was sometimes repugnant to the
savages are excerpted from the rejiorts to superior officers made at the
time, viz: 'June 22, 1748. Thirty-four Iroquois of the Saut have been
outfitted for a war party, and ordered to divide themselves into two or
three small sections : but having manifested some repugnance, thev
were authoritatively, told that they were to submit to orders and
obey.' This policy sometimes acted like a two-edged knife : and the
definition of murderer hinged upon the relationship of the V'arty killed,
for instance:

June 2~nh. All these natives [the Sauteurs or Chippewas near Detroit] have
very urgently demanded mercy for the murderers; they were answered, that it was
mercy to detain them so as to prevent them continuing their bad conduct ; that the people
of their nation ought to have confidence in their Father's [the French Governor's,
through the commandant of the fort] benificence. . . July Sth. The Outaoua
[Ottawa], Huron, and Pouteouatime [Pottawotami] chiefs at Detroit have requested
some young men to go on a war excursion [against the British], as well to afford proofs
of their fidelity as to repair past faults, whilst they, the chiefs, would return home to
promote peace [toward the French]. The first portion of their request has been
approved ; the young men have, consequently, been equipped, but the chiefs have been
given to understand that they ought not to think of returning before speaking [inflicting

BRITISH AND FRENCH PURCHASE EACH OTHER'S SCALPS. 93

injuries] to the Five Nations, who were daily expected. The different Michilimackinac
Nations made similar requests to those of Detroit. Ninety of these natives, fifty domi-
ciliated natives and twenty-si.\ Canadians have all been equipped under the command of
Chevalier de Repentigny, who is accompanied by several military cadets.
July Kith. Twenty-four Outaouas and Pouteouatamis of Detroit have been likewise
fitted out for a war excursion. . . Nine Sauteurs of Detroit have been equipped
to go on a war excursion. Sieur Blondeau, a volunteer, commands them.
August 10th. Chevalier de Repentigny, who went out with a party of natives to fight'
arrives from Montreal ; he made an attack near Corlac and took eleven prisoners and
twenty-five scalps.

If the British inflicted less injury than they experienced by this
horrible mode of warfare it was less from their desire than from their
liinited success in enlisting the savages as their allies. Governor
George Clinton in a letter dated Ne\v York ifith April, 1747, wrote to
Colonel William Johnson that 'In the bill I am Koing" to pass, the
council did not think pro]ier to put rewards for scali:)in!J', or taking iionr
women or children prisoners, in it; but the asseml)ly has assured me the
money shall be paid when it so happens, if the natives insist upon it.'

On May oOth Colonel Johnson wrote to the Governor that 'I
am quite pestered every day with parties returning with prisoners and
scalps, and without a penny to pay them with. It comes very hard
upon me, and is displeasing to them I can assure you, for they expect
their pay and demand it of me as soon as they return.""

Governor Clinton reported to the Duke of Newcastle, with date
•23rd Jul\ , 1747, t that

Colonel Johnson who I have employ'd as Chief Manager of the .Aborigine War
and Colonel over all the natives, by their own approbation, has sent several parties of
natives into Canada & brought back at several times prisoners & scalps, but they
being laid aside last year, the natives were discouraged and began to entertain jealousies,
by which a new expence became necessary to remove these jealousies & to bring them
back to their former tempers ; but unless some enterprize be undertaken, which may
keep up their spiritts, we may again loose them. I intend to propose something to our
Assembly for this purpose that they may give what is necessary for the expence of it, but
I almost despair of any success with them when money is demanded.

I must likewise inform your Grace that by this last trip to Albany, I have got two
native NationsJ to join us, who are numerous & who were formerly alhvays in the
French interest. They have actually fallen upon several French trading parties. They
may be of singular use to distress the French trade & to cut oft all communication
between the French in Missesipia tiiver & Canada.

The Treaty of Aix-La-Chapelle, in April, 174H, closed King Geor.ge
II's War in Great Britain, but settled nothing between the American
and French Colonies further than to restore to the French possession
Louisburg and Cape Breton captured by the British in 174.".

* History of Detroit and Michigan, by Silas Farmer, volume i; and Michigan Pioneer and
Historical Collections.

t London Document XXVIII, New York Colonial Documents, volume vi, paye .3,58.
i Probably the Wyandots, and the Mianiis of the Mauniee River Basin,

94 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

The Last British-French War in America. 1754 to 1760.

King George II's War exhibited the increasing strength of the
British in America, and their increasing desire to extend the borders of
their settlements according to former grants and treaties. It had been
a good training school for the simple, brawny colonists in the ways of
war and they had shown themselves equal to the task of coping with
the best French regular troops. Further, the home government had
taught the Colonies the lesson of self-reliance. They had been com-
pelled to sustain themselves and the armies with food, and to protect
their borders with comparatively little aid. They had been well
informed regarding the cause of French successes with the Aborigines
and, following the treaty of peace at Aix-la-Chapelle, which was but
another truce, thev were relieved of the task of guarding their co^st
towns against French warships and the invasion of French troops.
The results were soon observed by the French in the extension of
British settlements and traders with the Aborigines. The Governors
of Pennsvlvania and Virginia also sought to confirm their purchase of
Ohio lands at Lancaster in 1744, and the treaties with different tribes,
bv inviting the Six Nations, Delawares, Shawnees, Nanticokes (a
band of Delawares) and the Miamis to a council 19th July, 1748,*
when the chiefs and warriors assembled ( Kequenackcpia, father of
Little Turtle (?) and two other chiefs, Assapausa and Natoecoqucha,
for the Miamis) fully committed their tribes to the direction and pro-
tection of these Colonies. To draw the Miamis and their neighboring
bands away from the French influence, the British traders had built a
stockade by the Miami River at the mouth of Loramie Creek in the
present Shelby County, Ohio, and had been succeeding in gradually
attracting the tribe thither. This station was sometimes called Tawix-
twi and Twightwees ' 'the British name for the Miamis) town, and
sometimes Pickawillany.

The French were quick to yierceive the developing aggressiveness
of the British and, smarting from their apparently weakening prestige
among the natives, redoubled their efforts along the borders for the
purpose of obstructing the advance of British company land grants,
traders and settlers. Hostilities of more or less moment continued
along the old, and the constantly increasing, lines of travel to the
westward regardless of the treaty.

The grants of land in 174H to the British colonists forming the
Ohio Company and others, made a new route of travel to the Ohio

■' Alfred T. Goodwin wrote that this treaty was held at Lancaster. Pennsylvania. Journal of
Captain William Trent, Cincinnati, 1871, pages 22, 40, 95.

FRENCH EFFORTS TO KEEP BRITISH FROM OHIO. 95

River desirable as the former routes were well guarded by the
French. The French had foreseen this and had established forts in
the vicinitv of the probable routes ; and now they saw the necessity of
adopting increased precautions to prevent the inroads of their enemies,
the British. In 1749 the Marquis de la Gallissonniere, then Governor
in chief of New France, sent Captain Pierre Joseph de Celoron* to Ohio
for this purpose. This command of two hundred French and thirty
Aboriginest left Quebec the Ifith June, 1749, arrived at Niagara the
6th July, and at the junction of the Miami River with the Ohio if^th
August, where Celoron buried the sixth, and last, lead plate stamped
with the notice that France had taken formal possession of the country.
Tin plates bearing the same notification were nailed to trees, and
every other means taken to proclaim this event. The 13th September
the expedition arrived at the mouth of Loramie Creek, the site of
Pickawillany stockade built b\- British traders about the year 1740.
At the time of the coming of Celoron there was here a village and fort
of a Miami chief of the Piankeshaw band called la Demoiselle (the
Young Ladv ) on account of his display of dress and ornaments.
Celoron requested the chief to take his band, which British traders had
enticed away from the French, back to Fort Miami at the head of the
Maumee River. This he promised to do later. At this time there was
in this village of forty to fifty Aborigine men, but one English trader
(others had departed on their approach); but a number of others were
met on the route from the headquarters of the Ohio River to this
point, whom Captain Celoron ordered out of the Ohio country; and
he reported their promises to go.

Captain Celoron burned at Pickawillanx' the canoes with which
his command had ascended the Miami River, and marched across the
divide and along the right bank of the River St. Mary to its mouth at
the head of the Maumee.

He found Fort Miami in \-ery bad condition ; most of the palisades were decayed
and fallen into ruin. Within, there were eight houses — or, to speak more correctly,
eight miserable huts, which only the desire of making money could render endurable.
The French there numbered twenty-two ; all of them, even to the commandant, had the
fever [probably the ague]. Monsieur Raimond [the commandant] did not approve the
situation of the fort [see No. .") on the accompanying map], and maintained that it should
be placed on the bank of the St. Joseph River, distant only a scant league from its pres-
ent site [see No. <i on map]. He wished to show me that spot, but the hindrances of

* There has been some confusion regardinc this ofticei 's name. In the New York Colonial Docu-
ments it is given as Captain Bienville de Celoron. In another writing it is shown as Blainville the
name of an ensign present at the taking of Fort Massachusetts; and others give it as Celoron de
Bienville. The Reverend Father Bonnecamps accompanied this Ohio expedition, and the name is here
given as recorded by him in The Jesuit Relations. Cleveland edition.

t London Document XXIX, New York Colonial Documents, volume vi, page 533.

96 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

our departure prevented me from going thither. All that I could do for him was to trace
the plan of his new fort. The latitude of the old one is fl° 20'.*

We bought pirogues and provisions and, on the afternoon of the 2Tth [September,
1 Tl'.l ] we set out en route for Detroit.!

A new Fort Miami was built hv Commandant Comtt- dc Raimond
aftur the visit of Captain Celeron, in 1749 and during- the year 1750.
It was located on the east bank of the River St. Joseph, and the old
Fort on the right bank of the St. Mary over a mile to the southwest,
was abandoned.

The British were again stimulated to increased activity by Captain
Celoron's expedition. The Ohio Land Company, formed in Virginia
in 174H, sent Christopher Gist to Ohio in 1750, and Governor James
Hamilton of Pennsylvania sent George Croghan, to explore the coun-
try and to conciliate the Aborigines unfriendl\- to the British. Pres-
ents of rum, paint, blankets, etc., were carried along as necessary ways
and means to the end desired. Fealty was promised, and manifested
while the agents were present by the Miamis refusing to receive the
friendly wampum, tobacco and brandy, i)resented by four Ottawas di-
rect from the French at Detroit.! Many presents were also sent to
the Aborigines in Ohio by the 'Governor of Philadelphia' including
twelve barrels of gunpowder &c' with captivating assertions for
better prices for peltries and cheaper prices for goods, all made prac-
tical, and tangible, by the convivial effects of the freely flowing rum,
which was represented as better than the French brand\- while far
cheaper in price. §

'Valuable presents' from the French followed those from the British
in the spring of 1750; and these presents were soon followed by French
threats to destroy the tribes who continued to favor the British. Evi-
dences of an impending final struggle were fast gathering, and Ohio
was the skirmishing ground. The Aborigines were fickle and waver-
ing, with the tendency always toward the side that most freely and
continuously offered the greater inducements in presents of gaudy
trappings, intoxicants and weapons; and while the French and British,
each in turn, acknowledged exhaustion from such apparently necessary
policv. We also catch glimpses from their records of fatigue, and even
of disgust, occasionally manifested by the Aborigines at the continu-

* This computation is but twenty minutes in excess of the autliois computation for the site of Gen-
era! Wayne's fort shown on the accompanyinc map, and illustrates that the early, and ready, means of
computing latitude was fairly satisfactory.

t From Father Bounecamp's diary of Captain Celoron's expedition through Ohio in 1749, The
Jesuit Relations, volume Ixix, pace IHo et seq.

t London Doc. XXIV, N. Y. Col. Docs, volume vii, panes 267 to 271, Colonial Records of Penn-
sylvania, volume v. Olden Time, volume i, Dinwiddle Papers. For the Journal of Mr, Gist's journey,
see Pownall's Topographical Description of North America, London, 1776.

S Compare London Document XXIX, New York Colonial Documents volume vi, page 549.

STRUGGLES FOR THE FRIENDSHIP OF THE ABORIGINES. 97

ous solicitations, liribery and threats of force b\- these European
invaders of the forests to keep the Aborigines involved in their long
continued contests for supremacy. It was but a phase of the old storv
of the a-ggressiveness and persistency of the Anglo-Saxon people in
their conquest of the world.

The Six Nations of New York, now much reduced in number and
efficiency t)y past wars, still claimed and held the country to the east
end of Lake Erie and, notwithstanding treaties and purchases, vet

I.W F» Wa isMir^QTON B° 10'

claimed along its southern border and were \et very desiralile allies.
Their influence and assistance were still claimed by both the French
and the British. The temper of the situation is shown in the follow-
ing excerpts from the letter of Marquis de la Jonquiere, Governor of
New France, to George Clinton, Governor of New York, under date
10th August, 1751, viz:

You. very unadvisedly, and in opposition to your own understanding, call the
Five Nations subjects of the King, your Master. They are ho such thing, and you
would be very careful not to put forth such a pretension in their presence. You treat
them with much more circumspection. . It must be concluded that your excellency

has had no authority to object against the post [in New York] I have caused to be
established. It has been erected with the perfect knowledge of the Iroquois of the Five

98 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.-

Nations, who alone are competent to complain of it. They did not oppose it ; they con-
sented to it.

You are not ignorant, Sir, of the expedition Mr. de Celeron made in the
year 1 74'.l. , . I had the honor to write to you myself on the 7th March, 1750, on that
subject, and to request your Excellency to issue an order forbidding all the subjects of
New England to go and trade on the territory of the King, my Master. In the same
letter I had the honor to express to you my just sensibility at all the secret movements
of the English to induce the Aborigines, who, from all time, have been our closest allies,
to destroy the French. . . But the result has undeceived me. The English, far
from confining them.selves within the limits of the King of Great Britain's possessions,
not satisfied with multiplying themselves more and more on Rock River [the Miami],
with having houses and open stores there, have, more than that, proceeded within sight
of Detroit, even unto the fort of the Miamis [at the head of the Maumee]. This pro-
ceeding, following so many unneighborly acts, the evil consequences we but too sensibly
feel, have placed Mr. de Celoron, the commandant at Detroit, under the necessity of
ordering these Englishmen to be arrested. . . The capture of these four English-
men ought not to surprise you : . . as for John Pathin, he entered the fort of the
Miamis to persuade the Aborigines who remained there, to unite with those who have
fled to the Beautiful river [the Ohio]. He has been taken in the French fort. Nothing
more is necessary. . . John Pathin could enjoy the same freedom [as the others],
but he is so mutinous, and uttered so many threats, that I have been obliged to imprison
him at (Juebec.

Governor Clinton replied in a long letter that, 'The Gov"" of
Canada, by his answer of 10th of August, confesses the things com-
plained of to he true, does not deny them to be infractions of
the Treaty of Utrecht [in which the French were not to enter the
country of the British Aborigines], but advances a number of facts
groundless and false in themselves. . . This seems to be
treating his Britanick Majesty and the Treaties of Utrecht and
Aix-la-Chapelle with contempt. . . The French possession of
Detroit was not till after the peace of Ryswick . . and these
incroachments were grieviously complained of by the Five Nations
to the Gov^ of New York.' . . James Hamilton, Governor of
Pennsylvania, wrote to Governor Clinton 18 September, 1751, that
'The Gov"" of Canada's letter . . is indeed a singular piece of
argumentation, but though its reasonings are everywhere false, as
might lie easily proved, yet I think it will be to no purpose to confute
them, since little regard will probably be had to anything that can be
said on this side of the Water.'

In th(.- fall of 1750 the British enlarged and strengthened the stock-
ade at Pickawillany, which was made necessary by the increase of
population and business. Christopher Gist, at the time of his sojourn
there, wrote in his Journal (see ante, jiage ilti) February, 1751, that
this place was daily increasing and was accounted one of the strongest
Aborigine towns on the continent. The stockade was then being-
strengthened. During the winter of 1750-51, thirty Miamis were killed
bv the French and their St. Lawrence -Vborigine allies. In 1751 the

FRENCH CAPTURE OF PICKAWILLAMY. CANNIBALISM. 99

French captured near the Maumee River Luke Arowin, Joseph Forti-
ner, Thomas Borke and John Pathen, Pennsylvania traders with the
Aborigines whom they held as prisoners. Retaliation was sought, and
was accomplished the following spring by Fifteen French traders fall-
ing victims of the Miamis.

Marquis de la Jonquiere Governor of New France ordered Captain
Celoron, now commandant of Detroit, to attack and reduce Picka-
willany: but he could not or would not obey. The threateiied condi-
tion of French affairs at this time in and contiguous to this Basin are
further told by the report of Comte de Raimond, commandant of Fort
Miami at the head of the Maumee, that

My people are leaving me for Detroit. Nobody wants to stay here and have
his throat cut. All the tribes who go to the English at Pickawillany come back loaded
with gifts. I am too weak to meet the danger. Instead of twenty men. I need five
hundred. . . We have made peace with the English, yet they try continually to make
war on us by means of the Aborigines ; they intend to be masters of all this upper
country. The tribes here are leaguing together to kill all the French, that they may
have nobody on their lands but their English brothers. This I am told by Coldfoot, a
great Miami chief, whom I think an honest man, if there is any such thing among
Aborigines. If the English stay in this country we are lost. We must attack and

drive them out.* .

War belts of wampum were sent from tribe to tribe until St. Ange
commandant at Vincennes became alarmed. In the winter and spring
of 1752 small-pox disabled many soldiers at Fort Detroit and Baron de
Longueuil, acting Governor, wrote that 'it is to be wished that it
would spread among our rebels; it would be fullv as good as an
army.t • . We are menaced with a general outbreak, and even
Toronto is in danger. . . Before long the English on the Miaini
will gain over all the surrounding tribes, get possession of Fort
Chartres, and cut our communications with Louisiana.'

A force of about two hundred and fifty Chippewas and Ottawas
was gathered at the north and, led by Charles Langlade, were
reinforced at Detroit by M. St. Orr (St. Our?) with a few French
regulars and Canadians, and all passed rapidly across Lake Erie, up
the Maumee and St. Marv, and across the porta,ge to Pickawillany
where they attacked the town and fort early in the morning of 21st
June, 1752. Most of the Aborigines were distant, and after a sharp
battle the town and fort were surrendered to the assailants. One
Englishman was wounded, then stabbed and partly eaten. Five

* Francis Parknian's Montcalm and Wolfe, Boston, 1898, volume i, page H2.

Commandant Raimond was, soon after this report, succeeded at Fort Miami by M. de Villiers
See Paris Document X. N. Y. Col. Docs. vol. s, page 246.

t The Miamis were afflicted with small-pox in the winter of 17f>i-r}2. but the writer has no definite
evidence of it having been intentionally propagated among them. Chief Coldfoot and his son. and
other chiefs, died at this time of this disease.

100 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

Englishmen were taken prisoners, and two, Thomas Burney and
Andrew McBryer, escaped to tell the particulars. Fourteen Miamis
were shot, including /a Demoiselle (called by the British traders Old
Britain and Piankeshaw King) whom thev boiled and ate. Seventy
years of missionaries had not weaned them from cannibalism.''^

Possibly the French soldiers stopped at Fort Miami, as one report
mentions but two Frenchmen in the attack. But the French were
responsible for it: and this may well be called the first prominent overt
act in the last British-French war in America which was destined to
result in the complete overthrow of the French. It awed the Miamis.
They fled from the region and soon went again to the French,
attracted by the spectacular display and presents of M. de Longueuil
in the tall, not regarding treaties, including the recent one at Logs-
town a few miles below the present Pittsburg", and the visit and
presents of Captain William Trent to Pickawillany one month after
the attack of that place under French direction. Virginia, in effort to
win back the Miamis, sent presents to their chiefs; and appropriations
were made by the Legislature for their benefit. In May, 1753, the
Legislature of Pennsylvania voted 'the sum of two hundred pounds
as a present of condolence to the Twightwee [Miami] nation, on the
melancholy occasion mentioned in the governor's message of the 16th
of October last' it being their loss of lives at Pickawillany. The
assembly also voted six hundred pounds for distribution among the
Wyandots, Senecas, Shawnees, and other western tribes. These
Aborigines were a]oprised of the appropriations and, upon invitation,
were represented the following autumn in council at Winchester and
at Carlisle, where they treacherously professed great 'love and affec-
tion' for the British. Their fealty to the French was determined,
however, before the presents were delivered, and fortunately so on
account of the designed presents consisting largely of powder and
lead.

With the building of the French forts Presque Isle, Le Boeuf
and Venango in 175'2-54 by the water courses and portage from the
present Erie, Pennsylvania, to the head of the Ohio River, and the
bloodless surrender of Fort Duquesne 17th April, 1754, the British
were practically shut out of Ohio, notwithstanding the favorable
treaties before mentioned.

The breach was rapidly widening, however, between the British
and French and the determination of both parties boded ill to the
weaker when the imjiending general resort to arms should be sounded.
Already greater secrecy had been enjoined from London, 30th March,

■^Reports of Longueuil and DuMuesne; Colonial Records of Pennsylvania, v. 599; Captain
William Trent to Governor Robert Dinwiddle; and Parknian's Montcalm and Wolfe.

0H[0 DESIRABLE AS A BRITISH COLONY. 101

1752, to the Governors in America by the Earl of Holderness Secretary
of State, in the following communication: 'Whereas it may happen
that circumstances of a very hijj'h and ini])ortant nature may arise
which ma\' require the utmost secrecy, it is the King's pleasure that if
any such should occur within the district of your Government you
should forthwith with the utmost diligence and exactitude, transmit an
account thereof to one of His Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State
o^l3^ And you are in such case to follow all orders and Directions
which His Majesty shall think proper to direct one of His principal
Secretaries of State to transmit to \ou in consequence thereof.'

The British Colonies had been discordant. The people were poor
and, generally having little or no interest in hunting or trading with
the Aborigines for furs, had given their attention to clearing the land
and cultivating it for their livelihood ; but something •more decisive
must be done to destroy the embarrassing aggressiveness of the French
who were continually inciting or abetting the Aborigines to resent the
cultivation of the settlers' land.

For the purpose of formulating uniform action for winning the
Aborigines against the French, the Lords Commissioners of Trade and
Plantations, in London, requested the Colonies to send delegates to
Albany, New York, in June, 1754. But little immediate good resulted
from this meeting, further than it was educative for a uni(in that
eventually bore full fruit in confederation. Soon after this meeting
Benjamin Franklin wrote for Thomas Pownall, member of the Colonial
Congress, a description of the Ohio country and its desirabilitv as
a colony for Great Britain.*

Major George Washington's journey late in 175;! from Governor
Dinwiddle to the French forts before mentioned to warn the French
to desist in their aggressions, proving of no avail, he was sent in May,
1754, with a small force against Fort Duquesne at the head of the Ohio
River, whicli was the I'rench bar closing the Ohio countr\' to the
British. The moderate success of his effort at Great Meadows late in
May, has been termed the first contest in the final British-French W'ar
(often called the French and Aborigine War) in America, regardless
of the massacre at Pickawillany in 1752. Washington's surrender at
Fort Necessity occurred 3rd July, 1754. Then followed a series of
British defeats from unprejiaredness, the slowness of the Colonies in
getting properly into action from the dictations of, and the deferring
to, the home government (Great Britain) and the sending of European
officers and regular troops untrained, and unable, to cope with the
French and their Aborigine allies in the wilderness. General Edward

■ Papers of lienjamiii Franklin, by Jared Sparks, volume in.

102 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

Braddock's defeat in 1755 while attempting to break the French lines
on the upper Ohio, is an illustration of the latter.

This, the first British-French War relating mostly to American
affairs was formalh' declared by Great Britain in May, 1756, about two
years after continued hostilities. It was but the natural culmination,
as has been seen in the foregoing, of the increasing population and the
continued aggressiveness of both nationalities. The result of this war
was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Colonel Caleb Heathcote in his
communication to Governor Robert Hunter of New York, 8 July, 1715,
that 'it is impossible that the British and the French can both inhabit
[rule] this Continent in peace but that one nation must at last give
way to the other.'

At this time as heretofore the chief travel and events in the
Maumee Basin occurred along the Maumee River, and the reader is
referred to the chapter on this river in this book for many details. No
great battle was fought in this Basin between the distinctively British
and French troops. The contest here was between the British agents
and traders among the Aborigines and the French agents who were
often accompanied by French soldiers and distant Al^origines. Each
in turn put forth strong efforts to reclaim the unstable Aborigines and
to more closely ally them to the interest represented. Special induce-
ments had also been offered by Captain de Celoron for French farmers
to settle in this western country with Detroit as the more northern
center, and it was hoped that about two hundred and fifty families from
the lower settlements along the St. Lawrence would accept the terms,
viz : Each family to receive free transportation at the King's expense;
and every settler to receive as free gift one gun, hoe, axe, plowshare,
scvthe, sickle, two augurs large and small, a sow, six hens, a cock, six
pounds of powder, twelve pounds of lead, and many other favors.
Onh' about twelve families consented to remove.'''

War parties were again formed by the French among the Aborig-
ines and sent after British agents and disaffected tribes. Aborigines
from this Basin were again frequently at Montreal. They were present
at the capture of Fort William Henry in 1757, and at many other
]5oints in the East where their services were wanted by the French.

But the time had matured for a change in the 'home government'
and a reversal of the series of British disasters. The great friend of the
American Colonies, William Pitt 'the Great Commoner' was chosen
Secretary of State and his change of leaders in America to those imbued

* Ordinance of 2nd January. 1750. The more permanent population of Detroit and vicinity in
1750 is recorded as four hundred and eiulity-three persons. During the followinj: two years a consider-
able number of young men came voluntarily, and Captain Celoron wrote to Montreal foi yirls to marry
tlie;n. Compare Parkinan's Montcalm and Wolfe, page 77.

TRIUMPH OF BRITISH OVER FRENCH. THE ABORIGINES. 103

with his vigorous and well-defined policy, broujiht honor and success

to the British arms. French rule in Canada and around the Great

Lakes vanished with the capitulation of Montreal 8th September, 1760;

and British rule then established, was confirmed at Versailles 10th

February, 1763, by the ratification of the Treaty of Paris. The nearly

one hundred and fifty years of almost constant struggle between the

Colonists of these two nations in America was ended at last, excepting

in local and more clandestine ways through French influence with the

Aborigines.

The British Succession.

Fort Detroit, to which this Basin had been immediately subject,
was peaceably surrendered to the British Major Robert Rogers 29th
November, 1760, with seventeen British prisoners held by the French.
Soon thereafter Ensign Holmes with a detachment of British soldiers
was sent to take possession of Fort Miami at the head of the Maumee
River, and of the posts further to the southwest: and this fall and
winter a few Colonists again turned their faces Ohioward.

Comparative quiet now pervaded this Basin for a period of two
years. Mischief, however, was again germinating. The savages, from
their nature and their sanguinary training by the French and British
through five or six generations, could not for long remain quiet or free
from maraudings and the shedding of blood. With the declaration of
peace the great promises, the large quantities of presents, and the
free flow of intoxicating beverages, formerly dealt out alternatingly by
the contending parties, ceased. The Aborigines were at the close of
the war sore of foot and weary of body from their continued long
marchings, and cloyed of spirit from the long continued series of
skirmishings and subsequent debauchings to which both the French
and British had urged them. But they soon rallied. Their habitual
revelings in carnage, like their habitual thirst for intoxicants, could not
long be inwardly repressed. They were spoiled children under the
adroit and politic management of the French ; and now came the cooler
headed, less versatile English who from conquest claimed their sub-
jection as a right, and free from the expense of continued present-
giving and from a continuous and liberal free flow of rum.

The Aborigines had been confirmed by the French in the belief
that the territory between Lake Erie' and the Ohio River, with an
indefinite stretch eastward and westward, belonged irrevocably to them,
and that they should resist the encroachments of the British who, dif-
ferently from the French, would crowd them out and clear the land to
make farms for themselves.

As Major Robert Rogers and his two hundred rangers were encamped
for the night about midway on the southern shore of Lake Erie in

104 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

November, 1760, while making their way to receive the capitulation
of Fort Detroit and this western country, a rising- power among the
Aborigines confronted them in the form of a band led by Pontiac, an
Ottawa chief, who demanded to know why they dared to enter his
country without permission. Major Rogers tactfully appeased him,
and Pontiac in turn allayed the belligerence of the Aborigines on the
route, awaiting a more opportune time to make his demands. The
British, and the Colonists, ere long saw the necessity of making more
direct and serious overtures to the savages to quiet their increasing
restlessness. The)' were becoming more and more displeased with the
transfer of the western posts to the British who gave few presents, and
at irregular intervals.

The disaffection spread and General Sir Jeffrey Amherst sent Col-
onel William Johnson the experienced Superintendent of the Six
Nations to Detroit. He arrived there September 3, 1761, accom-
panied by Major Henry Gladwin and three hundred light infantry, and
according to previous invitation about five hundred representatives of
the different tribes of Aborigines were there (they never could resist
such invitation ) to attend a ' council ' and to receive the customary
presents with which the distinguished Sir William was now bountifully
supplied. The feastings and the drinkings, were to their full satis-
faction.

But hunger and thirst soon re-asserted themselves — and the
liberal giver had departed, taking with him most of the troops.
Further supplies were not immediately forthcoming : in fact the
finances of Great Britain, and of the Colonies, were exhausted and the
alreadv great debts were increasing. Now a reversion to the hunt
became a necessity: and soon new questions of supply and demand
harrassed the thoughtless savages who could not understand why there
should be any fluctuation in market prices. When competition was
strongest between the British and French traders, the former advanced
the price of furs and lowered the price of articles given in exchange.
Now when external competition was ended the price of their furs
was depreciated and the price of articles they received was appreci-
ated. From their unbounded selfishness and their ignorance of busi-
ness relations they could not understand the increased duties levied on
trade for the war debts, and the changed relations making greater
profits necessary to the dealers whose taxes were increased therefrom.
And now, also, the question of claims to the land assumed new import-
ance. The wild game, for meat and peltries, was becoming scarcer
and the Aborigines felt therefrom more keenly the encroachments of
British settlements on their hunting grounds.

THE ABORIGINE-BRITISH WAR.

105

The Conspiracy of Pontiac Against the British.

Pontiac schemed for freeing the Aborigines from all their increasing
difficulties according to his desires. He had long been an interested
observer of French operations, and his plans demonstrated his posses-
sion of a master mind among his peo]ile. His plan, first ])romulgated
by the French, was nothing less than to confederate all the trilbies, east
and west, and to exterminate the British and their Colonists at least in
all parts of the country which he desired for his people. The\' were to
begin at a certain phase of the moon in May, 1763, against all the small
and feebly garrisoned forts, then devastate the frontiers, and then con-
centrate against the more populous centers. Had it not fieen for the
unstable and perfidious impulses then, as generalh-, actuating the sav-
ages, the result would have been generally disastrous to the Colonists.
Pontiac was born by the Maumee River at the mouth ot the

Auglaize (according to
the statement of the Mi-
ami chief Richardville )
aliout the year 171'J, of
an Ottawa father and a
Miami mother. He was
unusnalh' dark in com-
plexion, of medium
height, powerful frame,
and of haughty bearing.
He was further descrili-
ed as subtle, patient in
planning, cruel in ex-
ecution, and with much
more than the ordinary
mental and methodical
abilit\- of the Aborigines
while possessing all of
their few good qualities
and most of their many
bad ones. Previously
he was but little known
outside his tribe, the Ot-
tawas. He aided the
French against an attack
of Detroit bv Aborigines in 1746, and aided the Aborigines in the defeat
of General Braddock in Pennsylvania in 1755.

"^^

fj^^jp '

l^^^v^

^^p^

FUNTIAC.-^
Born oil the site of the present Defiance. Oliio, about the
year 1712. Was assassinated at Cahokia. Illinois, in 1 76S>.

^From Harper's Encyclopaedia of United States History. Copyright. 19(.ll, by Harper ik Brotliers.

106 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

In his conspiracy against the British forts, Pontiac sought and
obtained aid from the French. The authorities in New York did not
obtain information regarding the great extent and full significance of
the conspiracy until 16th February, 1764, and then by ship from New
Orleans, where the French Governor D'Abbadie, who had early
apprisement of it, gave Major Loftus a British officer, "A very bad
account of the disposition of the Aborigines toward us. . . that
Pontiac, the famous Chief of the Detroit, had declared his designs to
commence hostilities, and had made a demand of supplies of ammuni-
tion from M. de Neyon [commandant at Fort Chartres, on the Missis-
sippi ninety miles above the mouth of the Ohio River]. . . There
is reason to judge of Pontiac not only as a Savage, possessed of the
most refined cunning and treachery natural to the Aborigines, but as a
person of extra abilities. He keeps two Secretaries, one to write for
him, and the other to read the letters he receives, & he manages them
so as to keep each of them ignorant of what is transacted by the
other. "'^ .

The conspiracy had been many months in maturing. Near the
close of the year 1762 Pontiac sent messengers to the different Abo-
rigine tribes. "They visited the country of the Ohio and its tribu-
taries, passed northward to the region of the upper lakes, and the
borders of the River Ottawa : and far southward towards the mouth
of the Mississippi. Bearing with them the war-belt of wampum, broad
and long, as the importance of the message demanded, and the toma-
hawk stained red, in token of war, they went from camp to camp, and
village to village. Wherever they appeared, the sachems and old men
assembled to hear the words of the great Pontiac. Then the chief of
the embassy flung down the tomahawk on the ground, and delivered,
with vehement gesture, word for word, the speech with which he was
charged. It was heard everywhere with approval; the belt was
accepted, the hatchet snatched up, and the assembled chiefs stood
pledged to take part in the war."t

This work was carried on with great secrecy to avoid its being
communicated to the British. But early in March, 1763, Ensign
Holmes, commandant of Fort Miami at the head of the Maumee, was
informed by a friendly Miami that the Aborigine warriors in the near
village had lately received a war-belt with urgent request that they
destrov him and his garrison, and that they were preparing to do so.

* Letter of General Thomas Gaue to the Earl of Halifax Secretary of State. London Document
XXWl. N. Y. Co!. Docs. vol. vii. 619, 620. Tradition says that Pontiac issued as money, pieces of birch
bark bearing rude sketches of his totem, the otter; and it further says that he faithfully redeemed tliem.
There is no statement regarding his ways and means of redemption, however. This fiction is noticed
here to illustrate the fabulous qualities ascribed to the Aborigines by some writers.

t The Conspiracy of Pontiac. by Francis Parkman. volume ii, page Iy6.

ABORIGINE PLOT AT FORT MIAMI: AT DETROIT. 107

This information Ensign Holmes communicated to his superior,
Major Gladwin at Detroit. This was followed by another letter from

him reading' in part as follows :

Fort Miamis, March liOth, lHui.
Sir ; Since my last Letter to You, wherein I Acquainted you of the Bloody Belt
being in this Village, I have made all the search I could about it, and have found it out
to be True; Whereupon I Assembled all the Chiefs of this Nation [the Miamis] & after
a long and troublesome Spell with them, I Obtained the Belt, with a Speech, as you will
Receive Enclosed ; This Affair is very timely Stopt, and I hope the News of a Peace*
will put a Stop to any further Troubles with these Aborigines who are the Principal Ones
of Setting Mischief on Foot. I send you the Belt with this Packet which I hope You
will Forward to the General [Sir Jeffrey .Amherst], t .

Major Gladwin was incredulous regarding jsreparations of the
savages for serious hostilities, and so he remained until Pontiac began
the work of a determined siege of Fort Detroit, notwithstanding a
general council of the savages held near Detroit 27th .\pril, 1763, and
the advice of friends who could appreciate the different indications of
gathering mischief. He was aroused to jireparation, however, bv a
Chippewa girl who called at the fort 6th Mav to deliver to the Major
moccasins she had made for him, and who hesitatingly told himt of
the coming to the Fort the next day of Pontiac with sixty other chiefs,
ostensibly for a friendly council, but each would carry under his
blanket a gun filed off to the length of about one yard with which thev
were to shoot the officers at a given signal, and the outside hordes,
variously estimated at from six hundred to two thousand, would there-
upon assail the Fort. The next day the chiefs appeared as foretold,
and Major Gladwin received them with the garrison ready for action.
This display of preparedness disconcerted the visitors and the council
passed without incident. The chiefs were permitted to depart without
being searched for the shortened guns thev carried. Earlv the next
morning Pontiac again appeared at the fort with three chiefs and a
calumet, or sacred piv>e of peaceS which was smoked as a sign of their
love and loyalt\'; and to further allay the apjirehensions of the garrison
an exciting game of ball was played by the savages during that after-

* Treaty of Paris 10th February, 1763, foriiiaUy closing tile war of the British succession.

t Parknian's Conspiracy of Pontiac. volume i, paL'e 1H9. Michigan Pioneer and Historical Col-
lections.

i- Compare the St. .Aubin and Gouin MSS. accounts, quoted in Parkman's volume i, patie 218 et
seq., with Roi,'ers' Journal ; the Gladwin MSS.: the Pontiac Diary in the Michigan Pioneer and Histor-
ical Collections, volume viii. Also for a good review of the evidence up to 1867, showinn the Chippewa
cirl as a myth, see the late Colonel Charles Whittlesey's Conspiracy of Pontiac in the Firelands Pioneer
volume viii, page 9 et seq.

^ The savages claimed that the Caluutet should be used only on occasions of peace-makint:. The
bowl of this pipe was generally of the ' sacred ' pipestone ( Catlinite ), the stem, from two to four feel in
length in sections, was generally made from a young ash, the pith being worked out with a smoothed
split of hard wood or, later, a wire. It was abundantly trimmed with quills and feathers from an eagle.
It was generally kept disjointed and carefully wrapped, as an article of great value. See engraving.

108 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

noon near the fort. The following dav Pontiac with his chiefs again
sought a council within the fort enclosure with their warriors at their heels,
but entrance was denied them. Then began the murdering of English-
men living without the enclosure, by marauding bands, followed by a
general firing from a distance of muskets at the fort, whereby five
members of the garrison were wounded.

Food supplies were becoming short and Major Gladwin, hoping to
stop the firing and increase his supply from the near farms, sent
friendly Frenchmen to enquire of Pontiac why they thus assailed him.
The reply was that he desired Captain Donald Campbell, second in
command, to visit and talk directly to him. This veteran officer who
had heretofore possessed a peculiar influence over the Aborigines
desired to go and do what he could to allay hostilities. Accompanied
by Lieutenant George McDougall and some Frenchmen, he went to
Pontiac's camp, where they were retained as prisoners. Lieutenant
McDougall afterward escaped to the Fort ; but Captain Camiiliell was
murdered, with torture, and eaten.

The siege was continued from day to day, and the food sujii^ly
dwindled with no hope of relief but from the arrival of supplies that
had been sent from the East b\' the slow and uncertain small sloop.
The 3l)th of May a sentinel discerned boats coming up the river, and
soon the weary and hungry garrison was alert and joyous at the sup-
l)osed arrival of relief. But this joy was of short duration. It was
soon to be succeeded h\ a deeper gloom than had before settled over
the fort, now apparently doomed to utter defeat. The boats and sup-
plies were in the hands of the Aborigines who had captured at Point
Pelee all of the convoy excepting two boats, after killing and capturing
about sixtv of the ninety men in charge. Yet another month was des-
tined to jiass before the suffering garrison at Detroit received any
relief; and this month brought much of sadness and discouragement
to the nearly exhausted garrison, and much of exultation to the besieg-
ing savages and the war-parties sent out by Pontiac.

May 16th Fort Sandusky was captured and liurned b\- Wyandots ;
and Ensign Paully with the members of the garrison not killed out-
right, were taken prisoners to the Aborigine camp near Detroit where
a worse fate awaited the most of them, Paully escaping. The 2iith of
May Fort St. Joseph was captured by Pottawotamis. Ten of the
garrison were killed, and the other three including the commander
Ensign Schlosser were taken to Detroit.

May 27th Ensign Holmes was decoyed from Fort Miami at the
head of the Maumee by his mistress, a young Miami woman, ostensibly
to render medical aid to a sick Aborigine nearby, when he was shot to
death by two Miamis lying in ambush for that purpose. His sergeant

SAVAGES CAPTURE MIAMI AND OTHER FORTS. 109

unwisely stepped outside the u'ate to learn the cause of the tiiini;, and
was taken prisoner. The remaininjj four or five (the Gladwin MS.
reads eight ) men comprising the garrison, surrendered the fort to the
savages at the demand of one Jacques Godefroy and other P'renchmen
from Detroit who were in league with Pontiac. Five days later Fort
Ouiotenon on the Wabash, near the present Lafayette, was captured:
and the next day, June 2, the garrison of Fort Michillimackinac was
also deceived and captured by the Chippewas who killed over twenty
and took all others of the garrison prisoners. June 15th Fort
Presqu'ile, at the present Erie, Pennsylvania, was assailed by about
two hundred Aborigines from Detroit and its garrison of twenty-seven
men surrendered the 17th. - Within a few davs Fort Le Bceuf and Fort
Venango, also on the route from Lake Erie to the head of the Ohio
River were also in the hands of these widespread conspirators.

The garrison at Detroit was generally apprised of the loss of these
forts by the return of war-parties with seal])?, prisoners and plunder
from the British, and their reception with great uproar by the Aborigine
women and childen generally within sight and hearing of the garrison.
A few of these prisoners were offered at the fort in exchange for
Aborigines there held, and a few captives held by them escaped: but
by far the greater number were put to death in the most horrible
manner.* Demands from Pontiac for surrender of Fort Detroit were
refused.

Anchored in the river at the nearest point to Fort Detroit were,
from the first of Pontiac's gathering of the enemy, two armed and
manned schooners which did good service in aid of the garrison, and
which successfully resisted all attempts of the savages to burn them
by fire rafts and otherwise. When the Fort's supplies began to get
low, the smaller schooner was ordered to hasten to Niagara for relief.
She returned to the west end of Lake Erie near the last of June and,
starting up the river, met attacks of the besiegers adroitl\- and bravely.
She was manned by sixty men, and her cargo was composed of ammu-
nition and provisions. There was also brought by this vessel an
account of the signing of the Treaty of Paris which was soon communi-
cated to the French by Major Gladwin : and fort\' of their numlier at
Detroit under James Sterling volunteered to assist the tort. This
should have put an end to the hopes, and of the stories to the
Aborigines detailed b\- many Frenchmen, that armies of their country-
men were on their wa\' to drive the British from America.

About the middle of Jul\' the Wyandots and Pottawotamis deceit-
fully made peace with Major Gladwin and surrendered their British

* Compare Loss of the Posts MS. Diary of the Sie^e. Gladwin MSS. Parkinan's Conspiracy.
and Michigan Pioneer and Historical Collections.

no THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

prisoners. Still brighter days to be followed by many sad ones, were
about to dawn on this brave garrison of one hundred and twenty-two
soldiers, eight officers, forty fur traders and a few assistants. July
29th the long hoped-for relief came in the form of twenty-two barges,
bearing two hundred and eight\' men, several small cannon, and a
fresh supplv of provisions and ammunition.' These boats were fired
upon by the same Ottawas and Pottawatomis who, two weeks before,
sued for peace at the fort, and fifteen were killed and wounded by their
guns.

Captain Dalzell, a former companion of Israel Putnam and more
recently aide-de-camp to General Amherst, was in charge of these
reinforcements, and he determined to 'strike an irremediable blow' at
Pontiac's forces; and about two o'clock in the morning of July 31st a
detachment of two hundred and fifty soldiers well-officered, including
Major Robert Rogers, marched against the savages. Some Frenchmen
within the palisades informed the enemy of this proposed attack, and
they were ready in ambush at a narrow bridge over Parent Creek, later
known as Bloody Run. Here, and near, the British force was repulsed
and with difficulty they returned to the fort with a loss of fifty-nine men
killed and wounded. The enemy's loss was estimated at but fifteen to
twenty ; and their exultation was unbounded. Runners were sent out
'for several hundred miles' to spread the news of British defeat; and
additional Aborigines daily swelled the number of Pontiac's already
large force. Manv days, however, passed with comparatively few shots
by the savages at the watchful garrison.

The smaller schooner, named the Gladwin in honor of the brave
commandant of Fort Detroit, was again dispatched to the east end of
Lake Erie with requisition for supplies. The night of September 3rd
she entered the Detroit River on her return, having a crew of ten
Americans beside Captain Horst and Mate Jacobs; also with six New
York Iroquois supposed to be friendly to the British. At their request
the Iroquois were set ashore the next morning; and probably they told
the hostile savages of the small number in charge of the schooner.
That night thev were compelled to anchor about nine miles below the
fort, and there they were attacked in the great darkness by about three
hundred and fiftv Aborigines who silently drifted to the schooner with
the current, undiscovered until thev were about to climb on board.
One cannon was fired by the guard and crew, then a volley from their
muskets when a hand-to-hand encounter became necessary. The crew
was about to be overwhelmed by numbers when Mate Jacobs gave a
loud command to explode the magazine. Fortunately this, command
was understood bv some of the assailants who communicated it to the
others, whereupon a panic ensued among the Aborigines and all

BRITISH RALLY. SUGGEST SMALLPOX. TWO ARMIES. Ill

instantly disappeared in the water, and were not again seen around the
boat. The savages continued alert, however, on shore, their numbers
making frequent changes and constant watchfulness of the fort a
pastime for them, as also their shooting whenever a soldier was seen.

Meantime reports of Pontiac's Conspiracy, the general uprising of
the Aborigines, the capture of the frontier posts, and the devastation
of frontier settlements, were as soon as possible conveyed to the
authorities in New York. Those most active for relief were Sir
William Johnson Agent and Superintendent of Aborigine Affairs,
Lieutenant Governor Cadwallader Colden of New York, General Sir
Jeffrey Amherst, and General Thomas Gage afterwards his successor:
between all of whom and the Lords Commissioners for Trade and
Plantations, with office at Whitehall, London, correspondence became
more and more frequent and s\-stematic.

As heretofore stated, the regular troops were largely withdrawn
from America after the capitulation of the French in 1760, and the
frontier posts, even Detroit from which Fort Miami and others drew
their garrison and supplies, were left with a scarcity that was nothing
less than criminal on the part of the authorities. The home govern-
ment in London yet desired to dictate the conduct of everything while
making it obligatory upon the Colonies to pay the expenses. The
continuous efforts necessary to protect the centers of population, and
to pay the officers of the government imposed upon the Colonies by
the King, kept the Colonial treasuries drained. And, in addition, the
easy-going British officials, some of whom knew little about the savages
and often apparently cared less than they knew, were loth to believe
that serious outbreak was threatened : and it required a long time for
them to understand that the greatest of all Aborigine wars was being
relentlessly waged. Some had become wearied by the former continu-
ous demands of the savages for valuable presents; and now General
Amherst felt particularly annoyed by the reports of their treachery.
He called them a despicable enemy ' and he wrote in July, 1763, asking
Colonel Henry Bouquet "if it can not be contrived to send the Small
Pox among those disaffected tribes of Aborigines? We must on this
occasion use every stratagem in our power to reduce them. . . You
will do well to try to inoculate them by means of blankets, as well as
to try every other method that can serve to extirpate this execrable
race."

The depredations had been so severe and oft repeated in western
Pennsylvania and Virginia, and farther east, that the necessity for
strong suppressive measures became imperative. With great efforts two
armies were organized in the early summer of 1763, with a few regular
soldiers, colonist volunteers and whilom friendly Aborigines, to make

112 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

a decisive campaign aj^ainst the hostiles of Ohio and Detroit. Colonel
Henry Bouquet of Berne, Switzerland, who had been more than seven
years in America in command of the 'Royal Americans' composed
larj^'ely of Germans in Pennsylvania, was directed l)y General Amherst
to cross the mountains and relieve Fort Pitt which was invested by the
savages, and which with Fort NiajJ'ara and Fort Detroit were the only
western posts remaining uncaptured h\' them. Colonel Bouquet's com-
mand increased on the march, and August 1^, 1763, when nearing
Bushy Run, about twent\-tive miles from Fort Pitt now Pittsburg, this
command was violently and persistently assailed by the savages who
had been harassing the Fort, and only by well-conceived and well-
e.xecuted strategy were they saved from destruction more complete than
that of General Braddock's army eight years before. This Battle of
Bushv Run has been termed one of the best contested battles ever
fought between Europeans, Colonists and the Aborigines.* It de-
pressed the great and increasing confidence of the Aborigines in their
ability to exterminate the Colonists, and it revived the hopes of the
latter. It also aided in gaining recruits for advance in the Ohio Coun-
trv upon recommendation of rewards for savage scalps inasmuch as
the Colonies refused regular pay to militiamen when outside their dis-
tinctive limits.

The other army of six hundred regulars and others under Major
John Wilkins had been collected from different parts of the Colonies
with great effort for the purpose of relieving Detroit ; but it was
doomed to disaster. Before getting out of the Niagara River they
were driven back by the enemy with loss ; and in September their boats
were wrecked by a storm on Lake Erie about ninety miles from
Detroit, where three officers and over seventy privates were drowned,
and their cannon, ammunition and supplies were lost or spoiled;
whereupon the others returned to Niagara.

The reports of the organization of these armies had depressing
effect upon Pontiac as well as ujion his followers. They had been
encouraged by Frenchmen in different places telling them that French
armies were on their way to America to drive the British out and,
later, that one of these armies was already ascending the Mississippi
River. M. de Neyon French Commandant of Fort Chartres had been
instructed after the French surrender in 1760, to retain that post until
relieved by a British garrison. To him Pontiac repeatedly appealed
for soldiers and munitions of war. Finally, upon demand of the British
General Amherst, M. Neyon sent letter September 27th to the
Aborigine tribes requesting peace and informing them that no assist-

*C/a/Ae's Historical Series, vokiine i; Parkmairs Conspiracy of Pontiac volunie ii, etc.

PONTIAC RETIRES TO THE MAUMEE. THE DELAWARES. 113

ance could be ex]iected by tht-m from the French. Ifpon receiving this
notification Pontiac's duplicity at once asserted itself, and he immedi-
ately sought the fortjiveness of Major Gladwin and General Amherst,
and their favor by telling the former that ht- would send requests to all
Aborigines engaged in the war, to bury the hatcht-t.'

In regard to the armies forming for the war, the expression to
'bury the hatchet' was not sufficient for the British in power; but
Major Gladwin wrote to General Amherst that

It would be good policy to leave matters open until spring wfien the Aborigines
would be so reduced in powder there would be no danger that they would break out
again, provided some examples are made of our good friends, the French, who set them
on. . . No advantage can be gained by prosecuting the war, owing to the difficulty
of catching them [the Aborigines]. Add to this the e.\pense of such war which, if con-
tinued, the ruins of our entire peltry trade must follow, and the loss of a prodigious con-
sumption of our merchandize. It will be the means of their retiring, which will reinforce
other nations on the Mississippi whom they will push against us and make them our
enemies forever. Consequentlv it will render it extremely difficult to pass that country,
and especially as the French have promised to supply them with everything they want.

They [the Aborigines] have lost between eighty and ninety of their best warriors :
but if your Excellency still intends to punish them for their barbarities, it may be easier
done, without any expense to the crown, by permitting a free sale of rum which will destroy
them more effectually than fire and sword. But on the contrary if you intend to accom-
modate matters in spring, which I hope you will for the above reasons, it may be neces-
sary to send up Sir William Johnson.* .

About the 1st November, 1763, Pontiac with a few tried followers
removed their camp from Detroit to the Maumee River to nurse their
disappointed expectations. Following their removal comparative
quiet prevailed for several months.

This turn in affairs produced a favorable effect upon the ever
wavering and dreaded Senecas of the Six Nations. Sir William John-
son took the opportunity of their mollified temper to yet further gain
their friendship by offering them fifty dollars for each principal Dela-
ware Aborigine chief captured by them, 'in which case they must either
bring them alive, or their whole Heads.' . . They succeeded in sur-
rounding and capturing alive a camp of about forty Delawares, embrac-
ing the dreaded chief 'Captain Bull.' These captives were taken to
the common jail in New York City where they were kept until a time
favorable for their release.

The fall and winter of 1763-64 was a time of turmoil in Pennsyl-
vania, particularly, with strenuous efforts toward readjustment of com-
munities and encampments holding antagonistic views regarding vital
questions of conduct when life or death, government and possessions
temporal and spiritual teachings, were involved. The sufferers and

'■'■■ Gladwin MSS. page 675, quoted in The Northwest under Three Flags, by Charles Moore,
Harper and Brothers, 1900. Compare with Parkman's Conspiracy of Pontiac.

]]4 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

active participants in this mixed series of contests were primarily, the
Aborigine marauders, murderers and burners of frontier settlements,
the survivors of those settlements adherents of the Presbyterian church,
the Friends (Quakers) and, to a less degree, the civil authorities.*

The militarv authorities did not remain entirely idle. General
Amherst was given leave of absence to visit England, but he was suc-
ceeded in the fall of 1763 bv Major-General Thomas Gage next in com-
mand. Preparations were made to again send two armies against the
Aborigines of the West the following spring. Sir William Johnson the
Agent to the Aborigines, was also active in sending invitations to the
savages for a general council to be held at Fort Niagara. To this
invitation there was a favorable response, over two thousand warriors
gathering at that fort in July, 1764. Here Colonel Johnson did his
usual good service in receiving and effecting treaties with the different
tribes individually, he undergoing much fatiguing routine and disagree-
able work to that end. The more northern army, under command of
Colonel John Bradstreet, numbering about eleven hundred regulars,
volunteers and Aborigines, was present at this council to impress the
various tribes with the power of the British.

About the 8th of August Colonel Bradstreet's command embarked
upon Lake Erie against the vet hostile savages in northern Ohio and
the southwest. He was accompanied by two hundred and fifty Aborig-
ines! many or most of whom soon deserted with the presents that had
been given them at Niagara. At Fort Prescjue Isle, site of the pres-
ent Erie, that was captured and ruined the year before by Pontiac's
warriors, the Colonel was deceived into a farcical treaty by members of
the Delaware and Shawnee tribes which had been particularly aggres-
sive and savage.

Colonel Bradstreet was also deceived by like Wyandots, Ottawas
and Miamis at Sandusky. Here he took prisoner the Frenchman
Jacques Godefroy who, in May, 1763, was the leader in the murder of
Ensign Holmes and the capture of Fort Miami at the head of the
Maumee in the interest of Pontiac. This man expected severe punish-
ment, if not death, at the hands of Colonel Bradstreet; but just at this
time Captain Thomas Morris was about to start from the encampment
as an ambassador of peace to the Aborigines along the Maumee,
Wabash and Illinois, and was offered Godefroy as a servant and inter-
preter by Colonel Bradstreet who enjoined the culprit to take good
care of the Captain. Morris accepted the offer, and Godefroy, think-

* For a comprehensive view of tliis reniarliable contest of readjustment between advancing civiliz-
ation and savagery, the reader is referred to the publication of divers collections, sermons and docu-
ments, by the Penns.vlvania Historical Society.

1 London Document XXXVII. New York Colonial Documents, vol. vii, pace 657.

EXPERIENCES OF CAPTAIN MORRIS ALONG MAUMEE. 115

ing that the Captain thus saved his life, accompanied him to save the
life of his benefactor, as the sequel proved. They passed up the
Maumee by boats to, probably, the site of the present Defiance. From
an Ottawa chief they obtained three horses for the journey- to Pontiac's
camp situate five or six miles from the river, probably on the Defiance
Moraine to the northeast. As they neared the camp. Captain Morris,
Godefroy and another Canadian attendant riding the horses, and their
escort of Aborigines carrying the British flag in advance, they were
met by Pontiac's guard, several hundred in number, which surrounded
them, crowded between to separate them, beat the horses and made
other exhibitions of disrespect. Pontiac stood at the edge of the
encampment and also showed signs of disfavor, beside refusing to
shake hands. "Here, too, stood a man in the uniform of a French
officer, holding his gun with the butt resting on the ground, and assum-
ing an air of great importance : while two Pawnee slaves stood close
behind him. He proved to be a French drummer, calling himself St.
Vincent, one of those renegades of civilization to be found in almost
every camp of Aborigines. He now took upon himself the office of a
master of ceremonies. He desired Morris to dismount, and he seated
himself at his side on a bearskin. Godefroy took his place near them;
and a throng of savages, circle within circle, stood crowded around.
Presently came Pontiac and squatted himself after his fashion oppo-
site Morris. He opened the interview by observing that the English
were liars, and demanding of the ambassador if he had come to lie to
them, like the rest."*

A letter directed to Pontiac and purporting to have been received
by way of New Orleans, was shown. It read as though coming from
the King of France, and its statements were well contrived to incite the
savages to continue their hatred of the British. It read, further, that
'Your French Father is neither dead nor asleep; he is already on his
way, with sixty great ships, to revenge himself on the English and
drive them out of America.' On account of the excitement produced
by this reading, St. Vincent adroitly escorted Captain Morris to his
own wigwam.

A council was held next day at which Captain Morris' statement
of the relations existing between Great Britain and France was received
with ridicule. The chiefs would have killed him but for the influence
of Pontiac who told them that the life of an ambassador should be con-
sidered sacred. 'His [Pontiac's] speech did him honor, and showed
that he was acquainted with the law of nations.' Pontiac said quietly

* From Captain Morris' Miscellanies in Prose and Verse copied into Parl<man's Conspiracy of
Ponliac, volume ii. pace 1^7, Boston. 1897. Captain Morris" little book was reprinted by The Arthur
Clarke Co. of Cleveland in 1904.

116 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

to Godefro}' I will lead the nations to war no more. Let them be at
peace if they choose; but I will never be a friend to the English. I
shall be a wanderer in the woods; and, if they come there to seek me,
I will shoot at them while I have an arrow left.' This was uttered
with assumed despair, and with evidences of desire to be courted.

A Mohawk chief who accompanied Captain Morris' Company stole
everything within his ])ower, including the Captain's supply of rum,
two barrels in quantity, which he sold to the Ottawas ; and the next
day he ran away. The drunken orgies that followed the distribution of
the rum boded evil to the ambassador. An attack was made on him
but Godefroy warded off the knife aimed at his heart, and he ran into
a field of corn where he evaded his pursuers. After comparative quiet
had been restored he returned to the camp where 'Little Chief ex-
changed with him for gunpowder, a volume of Shakespeare, the spoil
of some slaughtered officer.'

With Pontiac's consent. Captain Morris and his company resumed
their journev up the Maumee. He had much to write about the diffi-
culties of the journey on account of a low stage of water, and the push-
ing and drawing of their boat over the stony shallows. On the fifth
day from Pontiac's camp they met a savage riding a handsome white
horse which, they were told, belonged to the ill-fated General Braddock
and was caught by the Aborigines at the field of his defeat in 17f)5.

Two days later they arrived at the head of the Maumee and the
party started up the left bank of the River St. Joseph to Fort Miami,
leaving Captain Morris seated in his canoe reading Antony and Cleo-
patra in the copy of Shakespeare he had obtained in Pontiac's camp.
His men were met short of the fort bv the savages with bows and
arrows, hatchets, spears and sticks, to torture or kill 'the Englishman.'
He not being immediately found in the party, and the chiefs exerting
their influence for delay, their ire was somewhat abated. He was soon
found, however, conducted with many indignities to the fort buildings,
now for over a vear without a garrison and tenanted by some French-
men and Aborigines, where he was forbidden to enter any of the
Frenchmen's cabins situated within the stockaded area. Two warriors,
carrying tomahawks in their hands, took him by the arms and led him
through the shallow St. Joseph River, he at first fearing that they
intended to drown and seal]) him. When nearing the great Miami
village, a little distance from the west shore, they endeavored to take
off his clothing, but became impatient at the task when he ' in rage
and despair tore off his clothes himself.' Using his own sash, they
liound his arms behind him and drove him before them into the village
where he w-as immediately surrounded by hundreds who began violent
disputes as to what should be done with him. Godefroy, who had

SUFFERINGS OF CAPTAIN MORRIS AMONG THE MIAMIS. 117

accompanied him and ^nven words of cheer, induced a nephew of
Pontiac to make a speech in the Captain's favor; and Godefroy told
them if they killed him the English would kill the Miamis then held
prisoners at Detroit. Chief Swan of the Miamis then actively took
the part of Captain Morris by untying his arms, and giving him a pipe
to smoke. Chief White Cat snatched the pipe away, and bound his
neck to a post. Captain Morris afterward wrote "I had not the
smallest hope of life, and I remember that I conceived myself as if
going to plunge into a gulf, vast, immeasurable: and that, in a few
moments after, the thought of torture occasioned a sort of torpor and
insensibilit}-. I looked at Godefroy, and, seeing him exceedingly dis-
tressed, I said what I could to encourage him; but he desired me not
to speak ( I suppose it gave offense to the savages ) and therefore was
silent. Then Pacanne, chief of the Miami nation, and just out of his
minoritx', having mounted a horse and crossed the river, rode up to me.
When I heard him calling to those about me, and felt his hand behind
my neck, I thought he was going to strangle me out of pity; but he
untied me saying, as it was afterwards interpreted to me, I give that
man his life. If you want English meat, go to Detroit, or to the lake,
and you'll find enough. What business have you with this man's flesh,
who is come to speak with us?' I fixed my eyes steadfastly on this
young man, and endeavored by looks to express my gratitude."
Another pipe was given to Captain Morris, but he was soon thrust out
of the village with blows. He was permittid to make his way back to
the fort, receiving a stroke from a whip by a mounted Aborigine on
the way. Godefroy and St. Vincent who had accompanied him from
Pontiac's camp, did what they could to ward off dangers. A French-
man at the fort, named I'Esperance, lodged him in his garret, and the
other Canadians showed kindness; also two young sisters of Chief
Pacanne, as he understood. But those who had bound him were yet
watching to kill him; and a large band of Kickapoos, who arrived just
before him and built their lodges near the fort, declared they would
kill him if the Miamis did not.

Captain Morris learned from his Canadian friends that the severe
treatment he received was due to Delaware and Shawnee messengers
who arrived before him with fourteen war-belts of wampum to incite
the Aborigines to renewed hostilities against the British. They told
the Miamis of the Captain's coming and urged them to put him to
death; and they had continued their journey southwestward down the
Wabash and to the Illinois, the route laid out for him by Colonel Brad-
street. Notwithstanding all this he inclined to continue the journey,
until convinced by the evidence of those friendly to him and by the
demonstrations of the Aborigines that to attempt onward movement

118 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

would surely result in his death. Reluctantly, he decided to return
and, choosing a favorable hour, he started down the Maumee. Nor was
this return journev to be free from danger. The remaining savages
who accompanied him from Sandusky, finding him bereft of all luxuries
and presents, exhibited great disrespect and forsook him when their
services were needed in procuring food and propelling the canoe.
Captain Morris described their chief as a 'Christian' Huron (Wyandot)
from the Mission of Lorette near Quebec, and the greatest rascal I
ever knew.' Godefroy remained constant, and with little other help
they arrived at Detroit 17th September, 1764, suffering on the way
greatly from want of food and from fatigue. Colonel Bradstreet and
his coinmand had visited Detroit while Captain Morris was up the
Maumee, had left a fresh garrison there, and had returned to Sandusky
to further parley and dally with the deceitful savages having occa-
sional headquarters there.

From ' Colonel Bradstreet's thoughts on Aborigine Affairs ' sent to
General Gage December 4, 1764, the following is extracted :

Here I must take notice, that from the Govern' of Pennsylvania all the Shawanese
and Delawar Aborigines are furnished with rifled barrel Guns of an excellent kind, and
that the upper Nations are getting into them fast, by which they will be much less de-
pendent upon us on account of the great saving of powder, this Gun taking much less
and the shot much more certain than any other gun, and in their carrying on war. by
far more prejudicial to us than any other sort.

Of all the Savages upon the continent, the most knowing, the most intriguing, the
less useful, and the greatest Villians, are those most conversant with the Europeans, and
deserve most the attention of Govern' by way of correction, and these are the Six
Nations, Shawanese and Delawares ; they are well acquainted with the defenseless state
of the Inhabitants who live on the Frontiers, and they think they will ever have it in
their power to distress and plunder them, and never cease raising the jealousy of the
Upper Nations against us by propagating amongst them such stories as make them be-
lieve the English have nothing so much at heart as the extirpation of all Savages. The
apparent design of the Six Nations is to keep us at war with all Savages but themselves,
that they may be employed as mediators between us and them at a continuation of
expence, too often and too heavily felt, the sweets of which they will never forget nor
lose sight of if they can possibly avoid it. That [the design] of the Shawanese and
Delawares is to live on killing, captivating [capturing] and plundering the people
inhabiting the Frontiers ; long experience having shown them they grow richer, and live
better thereby than by hunting wild Beasts.*

The effect of Colonel Bradstreet's dealings with the savages during
his exjsedition, was not to curb their maraudings but, rather, to increase
their self-esteem and to stimulate their marauding propensities. He
early wrote to Colonel Bouquet, who was advancing from Pennsyl-
vania with the other army, that his treaties with the hostiles would
make safe a disbandment of Colonel Bouquet's armv of about six

* London Document XXXN'II, New York Colonial Documents volume vii, pa^re 692.

RETURN OF WHITE CAPTIVES TO COLONEL BOUQUET. 119

hundred men: hut the latter was constantly seeing the deceitfulness of
the promises of the savages to Colonel Bradstreet, and pressed forward
into Ohio with a, to the savages, new style of warfare. He held
hostages, sent others with letters to Detroit with positive commands
that they feared to disobey, and marched to the haunts of the most
hostile bands of Senecas, Delawares and Shawnees who had refused to
attend the council at Niagara; declaring to them that his army should
not leave them until they had given ample assurances of better be-
havior in the future; and "giving them twelve days in which to
deliver into m}- hands all the prisoners in your possesssion ; English-
men, Frenchmen, women and children, whether adopted into your
tribes, married, or living among you under any denomination or pre-
tense whatsoever. And you are to furnish these prisoners with
clothing, provisions, and horses to carry them to Fort Pitt. When
vou have fuUv complied with these conditions, you shall then know on
what terms you may obtain the peace you sue for." As hostages for
their compliance with this demand, he held the principal chiefs of each
tribe. His ambassadors proceeded to Sandusky with his demands, now
more strict since his should-be coadutor. Colonel Bradstreet, had
started homeward leaving the impression among the savages that thev
had triumphed over him and could continue their savagery.

A detachment of Colonel Bouquet's command also passed to the
Shawnee towns on the Scioto River ' which savages had been particu-
larly active and atrocious) and to and along the right bank of the River
St. Mary to Fort Miami at the head of the Maumee.* Soon thereafter,
bands of Aborigines began to arrive at Colonel Bouquet's encamp-
ment which he had taken the precautions to fortify, bringing with them
the captives of the white settlers to the number of thirty-two men and
fifty-eight women and children from Virginia, and forty-nine men and
sixty-seven women and children from Pennsylvania, which thev had
accumulated during their manv raids. There were many with Bou-
quet's command who had been thus bereft, soldiers and women, and
the emotional scenes witnessed at the meeting of the captives with
their relatives has been described with much of sentiment and pathos
by different writers,"!" some of whom have enlarged upon the profes-
sional wailings of the Aborigine women at the loss of their captives,
fictitiouslv comparing their demonstrations to the grief of civilized

'-'■'' See map by Thomas Hutchins, assistant enijineer. Reproduced for Parkman's Conspiracy of
Pontiac. volume ii.

t See Parkman's Conspiracy of Pontiac. vo\iiine ii : Harper's Montfily Magazine, volume xxiii,
October. 1861. pages .577-593; Rnd Pennsylvania Historical Collections. Colonel Bouquet's Papers were
deposited in the British Museum Library with the Haldimand Papers. Many of both of these Papers
have been copied for the Dominion [or Parliament] Library at Ottawa, Canada. Parts of them may also
be found in the Michigan Pioneer and Historical Collections.

120 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

people. Some of the younger women, who had been longest captives
and were married to the Aborigines, escaped from the military lines
and returned to their forest homes in preference to going back to their
kinsfolk. This is in evidence of the fact that reversion to barbarism is
strong in the lives of many persons in every civilized community;
otherwise civilizing influences would make greater progress. The
Aborigines were also made to understand that they must soon visit Sir
AVilliam Johnson, agent of their affairs, and give him assurances of
their iuture good behavior, as he, Colonel Bouquet, would not treat
with them, informing them that his duty was to conquer them by force
of arms. The 18th November, 1764, Colonel Bouquet's command,
and his rescued captives, started on their return to their Pennsylvania
and X'irginia homes, by way of Fort Pitt.

December 26, 1764, Sir William Johnson wrote to the Lords of
Trade regarding the two military expeditions in part as follows:*
"The result of this Expedition [by Colonel John Bradstreet] is, that
after loosing near one half of the great boats [in a storm on Lake Erie
on his return] the Troojis are returntd in a most shattered scituation,
many have jierished in tile Woods, and above forty are now daily fed
by the Senecas, 'till they become able to march, neither are all my
Officers or Aborigines yet come in, haveing been turned a drift without
any provision on Lake Erie, together with several hundred of the
troops. . . . On the other hand Coll. Bouquet under all the disad-
vantages of a tedious & hazardous land march, with an Army little
more than hall that of the other has penetrated into the heart of the
Countr\' of the Delawares lS: Shawanese, obtained above 200 English
Captives from amongst them, with 14 hostages for their coming here,
and entering into a peace before me in due form, S:"^^ & I dailv exjiect
their cliiefs for that jmrpose."

The 24th May, 1765, Sir ^Villiam further rei)orted his treaty of
peace with nine hundred Aborigines of different tribes, including those
obligated by Colonel Bouquet. He also reported renewed hostilities
of the Miamis, they having captured a soldier who strayed a short dis-
tance from the garrison at Detroit, and maltreated some French per-
sons st'nt along the Maumee by the commandant to secure his release.
The Miamis, ami the tribes to the westward, were yet imbued with
Pontiac's iik'as ol resisting the British, which ideas were nourished in
the continued rejiort by Frenchmen in the southwest and along the
Maumee, that French armies would soon come to their assistance.
' Several French Familys of the worst sort live at y<^ Miamis "...
wrote Sir William in his report. This influence was still objecting to the
occupation of the Maumee, Wabash and Illinois countries bv the British.

'* London Document XXW'H, New York Colonial Documents, volume vii. pav:e 686.

AMBASSADOR CROGHAN ALONG WABASH AND MAUMEE. 121

To pacify this opposition Sir William Johnson sent Colonel Geort^e
Croghan amoni^ these western tribes in the spring of 1765. This
sagacious ambassador left Fort Pitt May ir)th and, visiting the lodges
by the Scioto River, induced the Shawnees there to deliver to him the
French traders in their midst seven in number who had been influenc-
ing them against the British. There were seven other such traders
among the Delawares, all of whom were taken or sent to \'incennes to
prevent their trading with and further influencing the Ohio Aborigines.
Colonel Croghan and his escort of fourteeen men were fired upon June
8th near the mouth of the Wabash River by Kickapoo and ' Musquat-
tamie ' warriors. Three were killed and several were wounded, includ-
ing the Colonel. They were taken prisoners to Post \'incent where
there was a French village of eighty houses, and a Piankishaw village.
Here Colonel Croghan met several Aborigines \vhom he had liefriended
in former years and whose influence on his captors was favorable to
him. Thev were taken up the Wabash to Ouiotenon where other
Aborigine friends of the past were met ' who were extremely civil to me
& my party. '"^

At Ouiotenon a Frenchman arrix'ed ' with a Pijie and Speech' from
the Illinois through the Ivickaiioos and ' Musquattamies ' to have Col-
onel Croghan put to death by lire; but his presents and personal ad-
dress prevailed and after several conferences with all of these tribes he
was fortunate enough, not onl\' to influence them to save his own life,
but "to reconcile these Nations to his Majesties Interest & obtain their
Consent and Approbation to take Possession of any Posts in their
countr\- which the F"rench formerly ]iossessed, & an offer of thi-ir
service should any Nation opi^ose our taking possession of it, all of
which they confirmed by four large Pipes. . . On July 13th The
Chiefs of the Twightwees [Miamis] came to me [Colonel Croghan at
Ouiotenon] from the Miamis [Maumee River] and renewed their
Antient Friendship with His Majesty & all His Subjects in America &
confirmed it with a Pipe."

On the 18th July, 1765, this industrious and successful deputy
agent of Aborigine affairs started for the Illinois country, accompanied
by the chiefs of all the tribes with whom he had been treating. They
soon met the renowned Pontiac with the deputies of the Six Nations of
Irofjuois, and Delawares and Shawnees who had accompanied the
Colonel down the Ohio River on this mission, and from whom he had
l")een separated. They returned to Ouiotenon where were delivered in
general' council tht speeches sent from the ' four nations' or trilies of
the Illinois country. Pontiac and the others accorded with the former
agreement of the other chiefs, and all was confirmed by pipe-smoking

■■' London Document XXW'III. New York Colonial Documents, volume vii, paye 7^0,

/22 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

and belts of \vam]ium. Erroneous reports and misconceptions were
corrected, prisoners held by them were surrendered and, accompanied
by many of the chiefs, Colonel Croghan and party started up the
Wabash and passed across the Portage to the head of the Maumee
River. He wrote in his journal that

Within a mile of the Twightwee [Miami] Village I was met by the chiefs of that
nation who received us very kindly. The most part of these Aborigines knew me and
conducted me to their village, where they immediately hoisted an English flag that I had
formerly given them at Fort Pitt. The next day they held a council after which they
gave me up the English prisoners they had, then made several speeches in all of which
they expressed the great pleasure it gave them to see the unhappy differences which em-
broiled the several nations in a war with their brethren (the E;nglishl were now so near a
happy conclusion, and that peace was established in their country.

The Twightwee village is situated on both sides of a river called St. Joseph. This
river where it falls into the Miame [Maumee] River, about a quarter of a mile from this
place, is one hundred yards wide, on the east side of which stands a stockade fort, some-
what ruinous. The Aborigine village consists of about forty or fifty cabins, besides nine
or ten French houses — a runaway colony from Detroit during the late .Aborigine [Pontiac]
war. They were concerned in it, and being afraid of punishment, they came to this post
where ever since they have spirited up the Aborigines against the English. All the
French residing here are a lazy, indolent people, fond of breeding mischief, and spiriting
up the Aborigines against the English, and should by no means be suffered to remain
here, 'f^he country is pleasant, the soil rich and well watered.

After several conferences with these Aborigines, and their delivering me up all the
English prisoners they had, on the 2.1th July [(jth August ?] we set off for Detroit down the
Miamee [Maumee] River in canoes, having settled everything with these several Nations
to the Westward, & was accompanied by several chiefs of those Nations which were going
to Detroit to meet Colonel Bradstreet agreeable to his invitation to them last winter by
Mr. Maisonville. As I passed by the Twightwee [Miami] and the Ottawa villages on the
Miamis [Maumee] River, they delivered me all the English prisoners they had & I found
as f passed by those towns that several of the Aborigines had set off for Detroit.*

This river [the St. Mary] is not navigable till you come to the place where the St.
Joseph joins it and makes a considerably large stream. Nevertheless we found a great
deal of difficulty in getting our canoes over shoals, as the water at this season was very
low. The banks of the river are high, and the country overgrown with lofty timber of
various kinds ; and the land is level and the woods clear.

About ninety miles from the Miamis of Twightwee [head of the Maumee] we came
to where the large river [the Auglaize] that heads in a lick, falls [meets, debouches] into
the Miami [Maumee] river. This they call the forks, The Ottawas claim this country,
and hunt here where game is very plenty. From hence we preceded to the Ottawa village
[site of the present Providence, Lucas County]. This nation formerly lived at Detroit,
but is now settled here on account of the richness of the country, where game is always
found to be plenty. Here we were obliged to get out of our canoes and drag them
[occasionally] eighteen miles on account of the the rifts which interrupted navigation.
At the end of these rifts we came to a village of the Wyandots who received us very kindly,
and thence we proceeded to the mouth of the river where it falls [debouches ; there are
neither falls nor rapids] into Lake Erie. From the Miamis [villages near the head of the
Maumee] to the Lake it is computed one hundred and eighty miles [the distance is nearer

*London Doc. XXXVIII, New York Colonial Documents, volume vii, pages 779, 7H1. Annals of the
West, pases 184-85, and Butler's History of Kentucliy.

FIRST BRITISH TROOPS AMONG WESTERN ABORIGINES. 123

one hundred and sixty miles], and from the entrance of the ri\er into the Lake to Detroit
is sixty miles — that is forty-two miles up the Lake and eighteen miles up the Detroit River
to the garrison [Fort] of that name.

On the 17th [August] in the morning we arrived at the Fort, which is a large stock-
ade inclosing about eighty houses. It stands on the west side of the river on a high bank,
commands a very pleasant prospect for nine miles above and nine miles below. The
country is thickly settled with F'rench. Their plantations are generally laid out about
three or four acres in breadth on the river and eighty acres in depth. The soil is good,
producing plenty of grain. All the people here are generally poor wretches, and consist
of three or four hundred French families, a lazy, idle people, depending chiefly on the
savages for subsistence. Though the land with little labor produces plenty of grain, they
scarcely raise as much as will supply their wants, in imitation of the Aborigines whose
manners and customs they have entirely adopted and cannot subsist without them.

Colonel Croghan and Colonel Campbell commandant of Fort De-
troit, held repeated councils with the Aborigines there assembled,
embracing those of the Miamis, Ottowas, Ouiotenons, Piankishaws,
Pottawotomis, Kickapoos, ' Muscjuatomis ' Chippewas, Six Nations,
Delawares, Shawnees and Wvandots. And thus was cleared the way
for the complete British occujiation of the Maumee, Wabash and
Illinois counties. Colonel Croghan so reported to Fort Pitt and a
compan\- of the 4"2nd Regiment of Highlanders under Captain Thomas
Stirling proceeded thence down the Ohio River to, and K.lth October,

1765, received welcome possession of. Fort Chartres from commandant
St. Ange. These were the first British troops to enter the Illinois
country. Major Arthur Loftus early in 17()4, with four hundred regulars,
ascended the Mississippi from New Orleans about four hundred miles
when six of his men were killed and six wounded by Aborigines in
ambush, whereupon he returned to Pensacola. ''

Pontiac and other chiefs visited Sir William Johnson July 24,

1766, at Ontario, New York, according to invitation and promise given
at Detroit the preceding \ear. They were laden with presents and re-
turned to the Maumee apparently satisfied.

* Narrative and Critical History of America, volume vi. paee 70,5. For account of George
Croghan's journals, see Ibid, page "04; Hildreth's Pioneer History: New Yoric Colonial Documents ;
Butler's History of Kentuclty. etc.

124 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

CHAPTER V.

Hostilities of British and Aborigines — Revolutkwary War.

176fi TO 1783.

The Aborigines had become convinced that no more reHance could
be placed on the French, and that their wants would be best supplied
by their becoming, and remaining', friendly to the British; and the
British, throug'h the Secretary of State the Earl of Halifax, the Lords
Commissioners of Trade and Plantations, and of Sir William Johnson
of Johnstown, New York, the able Superintendent of Aborigine affairs
for the Northern District of America, had broadly planned for the
control of the Aborigines." These jilans and their firm application
to the binding" of the Aborigines to the dictation of the British, were
destined to cost the American Colonists many hundreds of additional
lives and an untold amount of suffering and treasure during their many
vears of struggle for independence from the other unjust imjiositions
of the mother country.

Previous to this time the Colonies had lost thirty thousand of their
citizens, and incurred an expense of sixteen million dollars in their
efforts for protection against the French and their Aborigine allies. Of
this sum the British parliament had re-imbursed them atiout one-third.
A large indebtedness had accumulated, and the rates of taxation had
become very l^urdensome. The British debt had increased during the
French wars about one hundred and forty million pounds sterling.
Parliament attempted to tax the struggling" Colonists to help pa\" the
home indebtedness. Attempts were also made to restrict the liberty
of the Colonists in different ways which led to various expressions by
them of disapproval. John Adams declared that American Indepen-
dence was liorn at the time of the action and expressions of James Otis
against the Writs of Assistance, in Boston as early as February, 1761.

Following the Stamp Act Riots in New York, Sir William Johnson
wrote to the Lords of Trade under date of 31st January 1766, that "The
Disorders occasioned by our Riotous People here, it is not my business
to enlarge upon, the Aborigines have heard of it, & desired to know the
cause. I have given them an answer with the utmost caution, well
knowing their Dispositions, & that they might incline to Interest them-
selves in the affair, or fall upon the Inhabitants in revenge for old

''* The Plan for the Future Mana^iement of Abori^fiue Attairs is given in full, in forty-three sections,
in London Document XXXVII. New York Colonial Documents, volume vii. pages 6,S7 to &11 ; also Sir
William Johnson's recommendations for the modilication of the same, on pages 661 to 666, These plans
were prepared from much experience and consideration. They show but the beginnings and fairer out-
lines of the methods by which, with ever-increasing savagery, the British obtained, and maintained,
their wonderful hold upon the savages within American borders until after the War of 1S13.

THE BRITISH DEFRAUD THE ABORIGINES.

125

frauds which they cannot easily forjiet." . . It yet required constant
attention and no little diplomacy of Sir William, the Superintendtnt, to
keep the restless spirit of the Aboriffines constant to the British. ''' The
French settlers in the Illinois Country a^ain became aj^t^ressive in trade,
and in sending' l^elts and sentiments inimical to the British, to the dit-
ferent tribes.

The desire for lands also increased amonsi the Colonists. The
Superintendent wrote to the Earl of Shelburne, Secretary of State,
London, with date 16th December, 1766, that

The tfiirst after tfie lands of the Aborigines, is become almost universal, the people,
who generally want them are either ignorant of or remote from the consequences of dis-
obliging the Aborigines, many make a traffic of lands, and few or none will be at any pains
or expence to get them settled, consequently they cannot be loosers by an Aborigine War,
and should a Tribe be driven to despair, and abandon their country, they have their de-
sire tho' at the expence of the lives of such ignorant [innocent] settlers as may be upon
it. . . The majority of those who get lands, being persons of consequence [British] in
the Capitals who can let them Ive dead as a sure Estate hereafter, and are totalh' ignor-
ant of the Aborigines, make use of some of the lowest and most selfish of the Country
Inhabitants to seduce the Aborigines to their liouses, where they are kept rioting in
drunkenness till they have effected their liad purposes.

Ml-.r.AI. ToM.AH.AWKS

Early traded to the Aborigines for peltry by the French and British. They were iosc by llie .Abori-
gines, and many years afterward were found by American farmers. No. 1 was found in .Allen county.
Ohio: 2, 3 and 6 at Fort Wayne; No. 2 is a hoe, 'siiuaw-ax' or adz. a useful implement and dangerous
weapon — the sharp pike of its head was coiled backward in later years; No. 3, is tempered copper. No. 4.
found in Williams County. Ohio, has a pipebowl as head, the stem of the pipe passing along the handle.
No. 5 was found in Paulding county, and Nos. 7 and 8, to the south and southwest. Part of the .Author's
collection.

Fraud was also practiced ujion the Abori^nnes by certain British
traders. The latter part of 176H one of them was convicted liefore a
court of inquiry of officers at Detroit, to which post this Basin was

* sir William Johnson remained considerate to the Colonists to the time of his death which oc
curred Ilth July. 1774; and he was. also, a firm friend to the Aborigines,

126 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

tributary, of bting one-fifth short in his \veii;"hts of powder and lead.
And a more serious charge was lirought, viz : 'Yet such is the conduct
of several English and the greater pari of the French, that they are
endeavoring all in their power to make the Aborigines Quarrel "...
This was in January, 1767; and in this communication to the Lords
of Trade, a 'Post or Mart' was suggested for the Maumee River, also
one by the Waliash, whereas three years before he thought the post at
Detroit sufficient for this territory. In his report to the Secretary of
State London in Septemlier, ]7(J7, the Superintendent, Sir William
Johnson, reported among other matters that

Sandoiisky whicli has not l:>eeu re-established [since its capture by Pontiacs savages]
is not a place of much consequence of Trade, it is chiefly a post at which several Penn-
syh'ania Traders embarked for Detroit. St. Joseph's [ near Lake Michigan] and the
Miamis [ at the head of the Maumee River] have neither of them been yet re-established,
the former is of less consequence for Trade than the latter which is a place of some im-
portance. . . At the Miamis there may be always a sufficiency of provisions from its
vicinity to Lake Erie, and its easiness of access by the River of that name at the proper
season, to protect which the Fort there can at a small expence be rendered tenable
agst any Coup du mains. . . this would greatly contribute to overcome the present
excuse which draws the traders to rove at will and thereby exposes us to the utmost
danger. *

Sir \\'illiam Johnson again suggested December 3, 17ti7, that re-
ligious missionaries 'would have hajipy effects.' The question of sup-
plying" the Aborigines with inissionaries had been suggested at different
times, but no appropriation for this purpose was made further than for
those formerly sent aiuong the Six Nations to neutralize the infJucnce
favorable to France exerted by the French Jesuits.

The question of a boundary line to the Aborigine domain, beyond
which European settlers for agriculture should not go, had been oc-
casionallv talked about, and from 1765 was mentioned liy the Superin-
tendent of such affairs as the Ohio River from Kittanning to near its
mouth for this western region. This was practically in consonance with
the former influence of the French who desired to shut out the British
from Ohio : and this boundary question, although never definitely agreed
upon bv the British in their dealings with the savages, was made much
of by them later to incite and to keep alive the savage antipathy of the
Aborigines to the Colonists from the beginning of the Revolutionary
War even down to the close of the War of 1H12.

Early in 176H the French to the southwest joined their brethren of
New Orleans in revolt against the Spanish authority and formed a gov-
ernment of their own, which endured l")Ut a year or two; and this revival
of the French national siiirit at St. Louis and the Illinois country, at-

■" London Document XL New York Colonial Documents volume vii. paces 974, 975. Over twenty
volumes of the Sir William Johnson MSS. are in the New York State Library, Albany.

BRITISH ANXIETY REGARDING THE SAVAGES. 127

traded the French and Aborigines of this Basin again to the detriment
of the British. In June, 1769, this stir became sufficient to cause alarm,
and the strengthening of the fortification at Detroit. Also the 14th
August, 1770, Sir William Johnson wrote to the Earl of Hillsborough,
Secretary of State that

The Aborigines of Ohio and the southwest are at present in a state of uncertainty
as to what course they shall take. . . I have taken measures to be informed as early
as possible with the proceedings & issues of the Congress which they are about this time
to hold at the great plains of Sioto near the Ohio, where some are endeavouring to
form Confederacys for \'erv bad purposes, secretly countenanced and supported by
French Traders. Renegadoes and all those Aborigines who have not hitherto been
heartily attached to the English, but with wonderful! art have for a time past endeav-
oured to shake the fidelity of the Six Nations, thro the means of some of the Seneca
Towns who are most dissatisfied with our conduct.* .

In further illustration of the state of affairs on the eve of the Revo-
lutionary War, and of the very great power the Aborigine allies of the
British exerted against the Colonists when fully marshalled for the work,
the following excerpts are made from Sir William Johnson's letter to
the Secretary of State 18th Feliruary, 1771, viz :

The apprehensions which I long since communicated of an Union between the North-
ern & Southern Aborigines and which your Lordship makes particular mention of in Vour
letter No. 14 is really a matter of the most serious nature, for if a verry small part of
these people have been capable of reducing us to such straits as we were in a few years
since, what may we not expect from such a formidable alliance as we are threatened
with, when at the same time it is well known that we are not at this time more capable
of Defence, if so much, as at the former period. This is in some measure the conse-
quence of their becoming better acquainted with their own strength and united capacity
to preserve their importance & check our advances into their country. t .

Nothing seriously inimical to British interests, however, was con-
summated by the Aborigines at tht'ir large meeting at Scioto, nor
resulted from the proposed alliance here mentioned. The frequent
councils held with Sir W^illiam Johnson by the Six Nations durin.g this
and succeeding years, and the emissaries from these tribes in British
employ, together with British deputies, kept the western tribes from
actively warring against the British. .Mexander M'Kee, who in later
years exerted a cruel influence against ,\mericans in this Basin and
southward, was a Deputy Superintendent of Aborigine Affairs, and
' Resident on the Ohio' 8th March, 1774. At first he was active to
keep peace between the Aborigines and tlie settlers ; but after the
commencement of the Revolutionary War he was as active in inciting
the savages against the Americans. June 20, 1774, Sir William John-
son wrote to the Secretarv of State, that

* London Document XLII, New York Colonial Documents, volume viii, paize 227.

t The British dreaded the confederation of the savaces against them by the French: but, early
rccognizinc them as the best of allies for themselves, they used their best endeavors to federate them
against the Americans, with much success in later years.

128 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

For more than ten years past, the most dissolute fellows united with debtors, and
persons of wandering disposition, have been removing from Pensilvania & Virginia &ca
into the Aborigine Countr\-, towards lV on the Ohio. & a considerable number of settle-
mts were made as earl}- as 1 Tli.') when my Deputy [George Croghan] was sent to the
Illinois from whence he gave me a particular account of the uneasiness occasioned
iimongst the Aborigines. Many of these emigrants are idle fellows that are too lazy to
cultivate lands, & invited by the plenty of game they found, have employed themselves
in hunting, in which they interfere much more with the Aborigines than if they pursued
agriculture alone, and the Aborigine hunters (who are composed of all the Warriors in
each nation) already begin to feel the scarcity this has occasioned, which greatly in-
creases their resentment.

The Earl of Dartmouth, Secretary of State, did not approve of
this westward migration, and julv (hit he wrote to the Superintendent
of Aborigine Affairs as follows :

I received a few days ago from Lord f)unmore [Governor of Virginia] that some
persons. Inhabitants of Virginia, have purchased of the Illinois Aborigines a very large
tract of land extending thirty leagues up the River, and I wish that this Transaction had
met with such Discouragement from that Government as the nature of it deserved. There
are many reasons urged by Lord Dunmore in favor of this measure, but they have no
weight with me. and as I shall continue of opinion that such a proceeding cannot fail
of being attended with the most dangerous and alarming consequences.

Loval British subjects, however, were not to suffer such dire con-
sequences as was feared by the Secretary. Such sufferin}^ was to come
to pioneer Americans who sought homes in the West, and joined their
countrymen in the East aijainst unjust impositions of the mother coun-
try. Earl\' in 1774 the Ohio Aborigines renewed their murderous raids
upon the \'irginia frontier. The settlers retaliated and, without full op-
portunity or desire for discrimination, they took the lives of some non-
combatants. Some friends of the Seneca Chief Logan, of the Mingo
band, were among this number and he thereupon entered upon a course
of revenge with dire effect, particularly upon the innocent. Governor
|ohu Murray Earl of Dunmore was ur.ged by his I't'Oiile to raise an
armv to suppress the savages."' Accordingly, late in the summer, he
marched against them with an army of aliout three thousand men, starting
in three divisions. Two ol these soon came together to form the left
under General Andrew Lewis: and this division was attacked at the
mouth of the Great Kanawha River lOth October by one thousand to
twelve hundred savages of the Western Confederacy led by the noted
Shawnee Chief Cornstalk. In the fierce battle that ensued the Virginians
lost fiftv-two privates and half their commissoned officers killed, and
one hundred and forty odd were wounded, while the Aborigine loss was
pr<jl)ably about one hundred and thirty in both killed and wounded : but
one writer at least gives the number as a full hundred more.

^See American Archives IV. volume i; Hraniz Mayer's Logan and Cresap : Magazine of Ameri-
can History, volume i ; and Roosevelt's The Winning of the West, volume i, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1897.

THE QUEBEC ACT. REVOLT OF THE COLONISTS. 129

This division proceeded to the Shawnee towns by the Scioto River,
according^ to the orders of Governor Dunmore who was there in com-
mand of the right division, and who there arranged terms of peace with
the savages.'^ These terms, however, were not to benefit the Americans,
even of this army for long, as during the march homeward meetings of
the suliordinate officers, and of the privates, were held and resolutions
were passed declaring that they would no longer submit to British
domination.

The Revolutionary War.

Sir William Johnson died 11th July, 1774; and his chief deputy,
and son-in-law. Colonel Guy Johnson, immediately succeeded to the
British office of Superintendent of Aborigine Affairs. He immediately
adopted measures to assure the different tribes of Aborigines that there
would not be any change in the relation of the British Government
toward them. But the rapidly changing events, culminating in the out-
break of the Revolutionary War, made it necessary for him to flee from
his country seat near Johnstown, New York, to Canada in May, 1775,
where, in Montreal, he yet endeavored to preserve the friendship of the
savages for the British. He went to London, was confirmed in the
superintendency, and came to New York City where he co-operated with
General William Howe. His last effective work in this office was done
with the Six Nations at Niagara. He was succeeded 23rd March, 1782,
by Sir John Johnson, son of the late Sir William. Meantime the active
work with and by the western Aborigines was directed by the western
military posts, Detroit being the principal one.

Under the French regime, and until after the Revolutionary War
under the British, the commandant of the military post at Detroit, to
which this Basin was subject, exercised the functions of both a civil
and a military officer with absolute power. The 22nd June, 1774, under
the Quebec Actt (which was so obnoxious to the Colonists as to be
cited in the Declaration of Independence) a civil government was first
provided for the territory which centered at or was subject to Fort
Detroit — including all the Territory Northwest of the Ohio River at
least. This Act vested the legislative power in the Governor, then Sir
Guy Carleton who was afterward Lord Dorchester, in the Lieutenant
Governor, or Commander in Chief, and in a Council of not less than
seventeen nor more than twenty-three persons to be appointed b^- the
King. The criminal law of England was presumed to be the guide;
but, generally, the law was but the will of the commandant, or of the

*For a description of these combatants, and of this most severe combat, see The Winning of the
West by Theodore Roosevelt, volume i Chapter ix. based on the American Archives. 4th series volume i,
and Whittlesey's Fugitive Essays.

t For copy of the Quebec Act see the American Archives. Fourth Series volume i. page 216,

150 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

notary or justice of the peace of tiis appointing. This was more par-
ticularly the case as the lines of war became more rigidly established.
Governor Carleton proclaimed martial law June 9, 1775, and the culti-
vated savagery of the Aborigines was then systematically and forcefully
directed against the American frontier settlements, the murdering par-
ties being generally led liy British officers.

The notorious tory Doctor John Connelly, who had been for about
three years in collusion with Earl Dunmore against Pennsylvania and
against the patriots generally, in July, 1777, endeavored to enlist volun-
teers among Americans in the western country to operate with the
savages against loyal Americans. They were to be supplied with mu-
nitions from Detroit. Congress became apprised of such movements
and instituted measures to prevent disaffection among the frontier
people. Connelly was soon captured by the loyal Americans.

The Americans also desired the help of the Aborigines, or at least
their neutrality. To obtain this result Congress appointed Judge James
Wilson of Pennsylvania, General Lewis Morris of New York and Doctor
Thomas Walker of Virginia, commissioners to treat with them. Arthur
St. Clair, afterwards first Governor of the Northwest Territory, was their
secretary ; and he enlisted nearly five hundred volunteers to march against
Detroit if the neutrality of the Aborigines could be secured. This neu-
trality could not be obtained, and the suggested march, like many other
projects of these times, was not entered upon ; nor did the efforts of the
commissioners to the Aborigines result in much favor to the Americans.

The ofiice of Lieutenant Governor and Superintendent of Abo-
rigine Affairs was created by the British for Detroit, the Maumee
region, Vincennes and Michilimackinac. Captain, afterwards Colonel,
Henry Hamilton of the 15th Regiment of British troops, was appointed
to this office for Detroit where he arrived 9th November, 1775: and he
was deferred to regarding the other posts. He proved tactful, cruel
and remorseless. It appears that the British had been preparing the
Aborigines for war against the Americans on the former French plan
against the I^ritish, jirevious to this date, and that councils had been
held with different tribes at Detroit for this inirpose. War belts of
wampum were sent to every tribe with invitations to visit Detroit.
There councils and feastings were repeatedly held in which rum flowed
freely with every incitement calculated to inflame the savages against
the Americans who were endeavoring to crowd them from their lands,
and now had rebelled against the good King, their father, who was dis-
tributing so many presents and kindnesses to his Aborigine children."

Earl\- in September, 1776, Hamilton wrote to Lord George Ger-
main " that the Ottawas, Chippewas, Wyandottes and Pottawatomies,
with the Seiiecas would fall on the scattered settlers on the Ohio and

BRITISH SAVAGE WAR-PARTIES AGAINST AMERICANS. 131

.;,fj^s-»«<^^, • ■ , V;

its branches . . . whose arrogance, disloyalty and imprudence has
justl\- drawn upon them this deplorable sort of war.'"^. . . Gover-
nor Carleton, who
was a good disci-
plinarian and
prompt to o b e y
the orders of his
superior officer,
enjoined Hamilton
6th October, 1776,
'to keep the Abor-
igines in readiness
to join me in the
Spring, or march
elsewhere as they
m ay be most
wanted.'! War
jiarties of savages
were thoroughly
(_' ( 1 u i \y p e d and,
commanded l)v
British officers +
were sent out from
Detroit, first to the
eastward and later
to the south and
southwest also,
wherever they
could find the most defenseless American settlements in Ohio, Penn-
sylvania and Kentucky', to murder and plunder.

Fort Henr\-, at the site of the present Wheeling, was attacked by
one of these parties which, though finally driven away, inflicted loss of
life upon the small garrison. Harrodsburg, Kentucky, was assailed
loth March, 1777, but its Itrave and efficient defenders repulsed the

THE SAVAGE AND HIS VICTIM

(From Schoolcraft)

* Secretary Germain had complained of Governor Carleton for hesitatinR to employ the savages
against tlie Americans toward whom Germain was very vindictive; and he reproved every
commander who slrowed signs of mei"cy in his conduct of this business. He found in Hamilton a ready
agent in carrying out his cruel schemes — Harper's Encyclopaedia of United States History volume iv,
page 64. Some writers date Hamilton's communication one year later than the above.

1 Haldimand Papers. The Papers relating to the Revolutionary War preserved by General Sir
Frederick Haldimand. of most interest to the historian, number one hundred and sixty-four volumes.
In 1857 they were presented to the British Museum Library by his nephew William Haldiman. They
have been copied largely for the Parliament or Dominion Library at Ottawa. Canada. Other papers of
great interest to the student of history may also be there found.

i The term British is applied by the writer to all those persons engaged in the interests of the
British Government, whether English, Scotch, Irish, French or American born.

152 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

savages, who met like successful opposition at Boonsboro 15th April
and again 4th July. Four were wounded including Captain Boon.
Logan's Station was also attacked and one man killed and two others
mortally wounded while guarding women who were milking the cows
outside the stockade.

Governor Hamilton reported to Secretary Germain under date
27th July, 1777, that he had sent out fifteen war parties composed of
two hundred and eighty-nine savage warriors with thirty British oiScers
and rangers. The 26th September, Hamilton was given full control of
this western country, he having passed the probationary period in his
worse than barbarous work satisfactorily' to the British Government.
He rei^orted to Governor Carleton 15th January, 177w, that "The
parties sent from hence have been generally successful, though the
Aborigines have lost men enough to sharpen their resentment : they
have brought in 28 prisoners [Americans] alive, twenty of which they
presented to me, and 129 scalps."*.

Daniel Boon, pioneer of Kentucky, with twenty-six companions
were captured February 7, 1778. While making salt at the Blue Licks
they were quietly surrounded by eighty or ninety Miamis of the Mau-
mee led by two Frenchmen named Baubin and Lorimer. With his
usual discretion Boon decided it best to surrender on condition of being
well treated. They were taken to Chillicothe and then to Detroit
where Hamilton offered the Aborigines one hundred pounds for Boon.
They refused to sell him for this price. The 10th April they took him
into Ohio where he further ingratiated himself in their favor, and they
adopted him into the tribe. At Chillicothe in June he saw a war part\-
on its way against Boonsboro, and he escaped thither. He made the
journey of one hundred and sixty miles in four days, with not to exceed
one meal of food on the way. He was tried by court-martial for sur-
rendering at Blue Licks, was acquitted, and promoted to the rank of
major.

August H, 177H, between three and four hundred Shawnees and
Miamis, led by their chiefs. Captain Daigniau de Ouindre (written
Duquesne by Major Boon) and eleven other Frenchmen, appeared be-
fore the stockade at Boonsboro with both the British and French flags,
and demanded surrender in the name of his Britannic Majesty, George
HI. Upon request Major Boon was granted two days in which to de-
cide, and he lost no opportunity meantime to gather the live stock and
other necessaries within the jialisades. There was further parlej-ing,
with dangerous deception on the part of the enemy, followed by the
besieging of the place for nine days. The casualties to the Kentuck-

'*History of Detrcit and Michigan, hy Silas Farmer, volume i, 1889; From Michican Historical
Collection^.

HORRIBLE SAVAGE WORK INSTIGATED BY BRITISH. 133

ians were two killed and four wounded ; and the enemy suffered but
little more.* August 20th the enemy withdrew, and Boonsboro was not
again seriously attacked during the war. The marauding parties sent
against the frontier settlements were usually much smaller than the
one last mentioned. August 25th, fifteen Miamis were started ; Sep-
tember 5th, thirty-one Miamis ; September Uth, one Frenchman, five
Chippewas, and fifteen Miamis, are the statements of a few of the indi-
vidual reports. Hamilton reported 16th September that his parties
had taken thirty-four prisoners, 17 of which they delivered up, and
eighty-one scalps." T

Major Arent Schuyler De Peyster, at different times commandant
of Detroit, reported a form of presentation to Lieutenant Governor
Hamilton on return of the savages who had been sent on marauding
expeditions, as follows: "Presenting sixteen scalps, one of the Dela-
ware chiefs said, Listen to your children, the Delawares who are come
in to see you at a time they have nothing to apprehend from the enemv,
and to present you some dried meat, as we could not have the face to
appear before our father empty." +

All scalps were paid for ; and at the starting out of the savages for
their raids, the governor, and sometimes the commandant, encouraged
them b\- singing the war song, by the gift of some weapon, and by pas-
sing their weapons through his own hands, thus 'taking hold of the same
tomahawk ' to show full sympathy with them in their murderous work.
On their return to Detroit they were sometimes welcomed by firing the
fort's cannon. Hamilton was also charged with having standing prices
for American scalps, but generally none for prisoners, thus inducing the
savages to at once kill all weak or resisting prisoners reserving such as
could carry the plunder for them to Detroit where it would be deter-
mined what disposition could best be made of them. These war parties
went out, and returned, through this Basin : and many of them were
recruited from this region.

It was at these trying times that Captain Alexander M'Kee, a
native of Pennsylvania, his two negro servants, with Matthew Elliott,
Simon Girty and a few others, deserted Pittsburg 2ftth March, 177H,

'^See The Winning of the West, by Theodore Roosevelt, volume ii, paue 30 et seq.

tThe late Samuel Prescott Hildreth, M. D., communicated to The American Pioneer of July. 1H43,
volume i, pages 291, 292, the confession in the year 179H of the noted savaye ' Silver Heels ' that he had
taken the scalps of sixteen white people, among the number beiny Abel Sherman who resided near where
he boasted of taking the scalp in large size, of dividing it carefully, and selling the parts as two scalps in
Detroit for fifty dollars each.

Possibly many of the scalps and prisoners referred to above by Hamilton, were taken at the Mas-
sacre of Wyoming, Pennsylvania, as many of the savages who participated in that crime went from this
western region, led by Captain Henry Bird of the 8th British Regiment.

t The enquiring reader can learn more of this horrible story by referring to General Lewis Cass'
communication to the North American Review, and to Rev. David Zeisberger's Diary, volume i, page 37.
Also to the Haldimand Papers, passim, and Farmer's History of Detroit.

154

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

and the Americans who had trusted them, and made their way to Detroit
where they joined the British. Soon thereafter throutfh their influence
over twenty other persons deserted for Detroit. In Pittsburt;, where the
efficient number of patriots was small and the dangers great, these de-
sertions caused alarm and anxiety. These traitors stopped with the Dela-
ware Aborigines ' Moravians ) by the Tuscarawas River, a tributary of the
Muskingum, and influenced them against the Americans. The reports
carried to Detroit led to communications with these Aborigines by the

THE SCALP UANCE OF THE SA\'AGES
[ From Catlin )

British, which in turn led the Americans to the belief that they were in
accord with the British. This belief, with the large number of Delawares
known to be with the war parties, caused the sad massacre of a part of
the Moravian band by Pennsylvanians, reference to which will be again
made.

M'Kee, Elliott and Girty were received at Detroit with great joy
bv Governor Hamilton''' a man of their own type. M'Kee was com-
missioned Captain and interpreter in the British Aborigine Department
and, later, was advanced to Colonel and to Commissary and Department
Aborigine Agent. Simon Girty was retained as interpreter and sent to
the Senecas CMingoes) with whom he was to live, keep them friendly
to the British, and to accompany them on their raids against the Ameri-
cans. James and George Girty also deserted to Detroit, the former
arriving there 15th August, 177H, and the latter Hth August, 1779.t

* Hamilton's letter of April 25. 1778, with Haldiniand Papers.

tTherp were four brothers in this Girly, or Gerty, family. The father, Simon, was killed in 17.t1
vhile in a drunken bout with the .^borinines. He was Irish, and his wife was EmiUsh. The names of

THE GIRTYS. RXPEDITION OF GEORGE ROGERS CLARK. 155

The resources of the Americans were fully employed for their pro-
tection against the British and their AhoriKine allies in the East ; but it
was apparent that somethini^" more should be done to prevent or
counteract the activities of these enemies from the West. Early in the
sprini;' of 1778 Virginia, or rather Governor Patrick Henry, for the
purpose of drawing the enemy away from her borders and from Ken-
tucky, gave the energetic Major George Rogers Clark ( who had been
aiding in the protection of Kentucky) authority to gather four com-
panies of soldiers to make his bravely planned expedition for the cap-
ture of the British forts in the Illinois country. With great difficulty
about one hundred and fifty men were gathered. They boated down
the Ohio River to the Falls, and thence to Fort Massac whence they
went overland. In the evening of July Fourth thev surprised and
captured without bloodshed the British post at Kaskaskia, and on the
Hth the post and depository at Cahokia about sixty miles up the
Mississippi River were captured in like manner : and the French
soldiers and settlers of these places took the oath of allegiance to
the United States with joy upon being informed by Major Clark
of the recent a-lliance of France with the United States. Information
of this alliance and of these surrenders was communicated to the
French at Vincennes and they, being desirous of an opportunity to
antagonize the British, conspired against them, and one night in
August they expelled the British sentiment from the garrison and
hoisted the American flag over the fort. Colonel Clark, Colonel by

their children were: 1. Thomas, born in 1739 by the SuS')uehanna River, Pennsylvania. He resided at
Pitt?;bure loyal to the United States. 2, Simon, born in 1741 just above Harrisburg. He was appointed
as interpreter for the Six Nations at Pittsburi; 1st May, 1776. but was discharged 1st August "for ill be-
havior.' The Patriots appointed him 2nd Lieutenant in 1777. There will be occasional reference on the
following pages to his evil conduct while with the Hritisli. He died near Aniherstburg, Canada, 18th
February, 1818. after a savage course toward his countrymen, and several years blindness. 3. James,
born in 1743. was of good stature, and not so much addicted to intoxication as Simon and George. He
married a Shawnee and became a trader with the Aborigines in after years with posts at different times
at St. Marys, Ohio: near the head of the Maumee, at Detiance; and on the left bank of the Maumee op-
posite Girty Island which took its name from him. He died l.^th April, 1817. in Canada. 4. George Girty,
born in 1745. He married a Delaware woman who bore him several children. He died while intoxicated
at the trading post of liis brother James at the Shawnee village by the Maumee two or three miles below
Fort Wayne just before the War of 1H13. His family remained with the Delawares. — Buttertield.

These three notorious brothers were captured by the Aborigines in August, 1756. Simon was taken
by the Senecas, James by the Shawnees, and George by the Delawares. In 1759 they were all returned
to their friends at Pittsburg. After their desertion to the British in 1778-79 they, with M'Kee, Elliott,
and other deserters, were attainted of high treason by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. The Girtys
and Elliott went into the employ of the British on pay of two dollars a day, with one and a half rations,
and were given one gun each, and three horses for riding and packing. The savage deeds of the Girtys,
even tliose of Simon which were the worst, have been excused on account of their three years captivity
with the savages in early life. Such excuse is not just to civilization. It is true, also, thai all their early
life was passed in the midst of alarms and bloodshed ; but so was that of all the frontier children, some of
whom suffered longer captivity, and nearly all of whom became patriots and conformed to the rules of
legal warfare and were, later, exemplary citizens. The Girty brothers were incited to, and given op-
portunity for their horrible work by Governor Henry Hamilton's precepts, examples, and employment
of them for such work. Such men were sought by the officers and agents of the British government to
lead the savages, and the British thus became a party to and responsible for their acts.

136 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

recent promotion, having thus gained control of all of the British
posts in the southwest, gave his attention to allaying the savagery of
the Aborigines toward the Americans, and with good success in the
Illinois country.

In October, 1778, the Legislature of Virginia, acting under the
Colonial Charters of King James I, April 10, 1606, May 23, 1609, and
March 12, 1611, organized the Northwestern Territory, or as much of
it as could be controlled by Colonel Clark, into the County of Illinois*
and appointed Colonel John Todd, junior. County Lieutenant or
Military Commandant. The 15th June, 1779, this officer issued a
proclamation from Kaskaskia regarding lands, those occupied by the
French and others, and this same month a court of civil and criminal
jurisdiction was instituted at Vincennes with Colonel J. M. Legras
president. t

Colonel Clark's successes gave great joy in Virginia and through-
out the East, and naturally the account of them was received at De-
troit with alarm ; thev even frustrated Hamilton's projected attack on
Fort Pitt early in 1778. The building by the Americans this year of Fort
Mcintosh by the upper Ohio, and Fort Laurens by the upper Tuscarawas,
caused yet further apprehension among the British. They strengthened
Fort Detroit •. and Governor General Frederick Haldimand listened with
more attention to the complaints of residents of Detroit against Lieu-
tenant Governor Hamilton and his appointe Justice of the Peace, Philip
Dejean, and they were indicted at Montreal 7th September, 1778, for
"divers unjust and illegal, Terranical and felonious acts and things con-
trary to good Government and the safety of His Majesty's Liege sub-
jects." These presentments were sent to Secretary Germain at London
endorsed with the excuse that the condition of affairs justified stringent
measures on the part of Hamilton.]!

Governor Hamilton's continuance in office showed entire confi-
dence and sympathy of the British Government in and with the savage
work he was doing. To recover lost ground, and to continue in the
favor of his Government, Hamilton renewed his efforts with the sav-
ages bv messengers to the tribes, and to the commandants of the
remaining British posts, along the western lakes, requesting them to

'■' Tliis Territory was before nominally included in the County of Botetourt. Virginia, established
by the House of Burgesses in 1769. Like the average early county, Botetourt has been divided to
form new counties from time to time until the remaining part in Virginia is now only of ordinary size.

t See Virginia Statutes at Large, volume ix, page 557. Theodore Roosevelt writes, in his Winning
of (/le West, that Colonel Todd's MS. ' Record Book ' in the Library of Colonel Durrett of Louisville
is the best authority for these years in the new County of Illinois. The material part of this record is
embraced in Edward G. Mason's Illinois in the 18th Century. This also gives account of the tinancial
troubles after the departure of General Clark's troops.

+ Haldimand Papers. Also Michigan Pioneer and Historical Collections.

BRITISH EFFORTS TO RECAPTURE THE SOUTHWEST. 157

incite the Lake Aborigines against Colonel
Clark and the American settlements in the
southwest. Hamilton wrote to Governor
Haldimand the 17th September that ' next
year there will be the greatest number of
savages on the frontier that has ever been
known, as the Six Nations [Iroquois of New
York] have sent belts around to encourage
those allies who have made a general alli-
ance."

The turn in affairs was becoming so evi-
dent against the British that Colonel Hamil-
ton decided to proceed to Vincennes against
Colonel Clark, in person. The thought of
getting away from Detroit for a time must
have lieen a relief to him — and he was sure
of success, for he wrote to Governor Haldi-
mand "that the British were sure to succeed
if they acted prom]itly, for the Aborigines
were favorable to them, knowing they alone
could give them supplies. . . The Sjjan-
iards [along the Mississippi River] are
feeble and hated by the French ; the French
are fickle and have no man of capacity to
advise or lead them ; and the Rebels [.\meri-
icans] are enterprising and brave, but want
resources" — a just estimate.

.After great preparations Hamilton's com-
mand left Detroit the 7th October, 177b,
with fifteen large bateaux and numerous
pirogues, each with carrying capacity of from
1800 to 3000 pounds: the largest ones being
laden with food, clothing, tents, ammunition,
and the inevitable rum and other presents
for the savages. His force at the outset of
his expedition consisted of one hundred and
seventv-seven white soldiers as follows :
Thirtv-six British regulars with two lieuten-
ants ; seventy-nine Detroit militia under a
major and two captains; forty-five volunteers,
mostlv Frenchmen, under Captain Lamothe ;
and seventeen members of the Aliorigine
Department including three captains and

158 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

four lieutenants who led the sixty Aborigines that started with
them from Detroit as well as the Miamis and others gathered to them
along the Maumee and Wabash — the whole number accreting to
about five hundred upon arrival at Vincennes. Oxen, carts and a six-
pounder cannon were sent along on shore with the beef cattle, all to
stop at the portages to aid in carrying the supplies and l)oats to the
next river. Those in the boats had snow, a high wind and rough
water to deal with across Lake Erie, and were nearly upset by the
waves before they could be landed ' on an oozy flat close to the mouth
of the Maumee.' The Maumee was at a low stage of water, and about
sixteen days were required to take the boats from its mouth to its head
( see chapter on the Maumee River ). Most of the supplies were left
under guard at the head of the Maumee during the winter. Here the
savages, the Miamis principally, had remained friendly to the British,
as had the Eel River and Wea bands of this trifle, and the warriors
that were assembled readily fell in line for the march after the regular
council, feasting and present giving were completed. The 16th De-
cember the advance of Hamilton's army appeared before the fort at
Vincennes, and demanded its surrender. Captain Leonard Helm was
in command and, notwithstanding the fact that his French militia gar-
rison had deserted him to run to the British on their approach* leav-
ing him with only one American, Moses Henry, the Captain refused
to surrender the fort, and did not until the next day when Governor
Hamilton, who had learned by the deserting French of his loneliness,
came up with the army and promised him that he would be well treated.
The 7th February, 1779, Colonel Clark started from Kaskaskia
through the floods for Vincennes and, after great hardships from the
cold, from hunger, and the overflowed country, his command of one
hundred and seventy men arrived at Vincennes the evening of the '23rd
and invested Fort Sackville.t This strong fort, armed with cannon
and swivels, was so thoroughly besieged by Clark's men who were
armed only with rifles, that Hamilton surrendered it and its garrison
the next afternoon, and the American flag was again, and ])ermanentl\:,
hoisted. t Two days later twenty-seven of the prisoners of war, includ-
ing Colonel Hamilton the other officers and regulars, were started

* An oflicer of the French militia who had been contntissioned by the British, and later by Colonel
Clark (who carried blank commissions from Patrick Henry. Governor of Virpinia) was examined by
Colonel Hamilton and both commissions were found in his pocket. Apparently it was of little import-
ance to the French which of the contending parties came alonn — they could declare allegiance to either
in a moment.

t Named in honor of the cruel British Colonial Secretary Lord George Germain. Viscount Sack-
ville, a friend of Lieutenant Governor Hamilton whom Colonel Clark designated the Hair Buyer from
his purchase of American scalps from his savage war-parties at Detroit.

t For description of Colonel George Rogers Clark's troops and their patriotic, energetic and suc-
cessful work in the southwest, see The Winning of the West, by Theodore Roosevelt.

CAPTURE OF THE BRITISH EXPEDITION FROM DETROIT. 139

undL-r guard for Virginia where the officers were, after due trial, con-
victed of gross and most cruel atrocities enacted principally b}- their
agents from Detroit under their incitements. These acts were so far
outside the rules of warfare that in punishment . . ' this Board
has resolved that the Governor, the said Henry Hamilton, Philip
Dejean, and William La Mothe [his officers and partners in savagery]
prisoners of war, be put into irons, confined in the dungeon of the
public jail, debarred the use of pen, ink and paper, and excluded all
converse except with their keeper. And the Governor [Patrick Henry]
orders accordingly." — Virginia State Papers.

Hamilton was released on parole 10th October, 17^0, and went to
New York whence he sailed for England in March, 1781. The militia ,
surrendered with Hamilton were paroled by Colonel Clark and the}- re-
turned to Detroit, it being impracticable to maintain them at \'incennes,
so far from the base of supplies.

A few davs after the capture of Vincennes a detachment of fift\-
soldiers in boats with swivels, sent by Colonel Clark for this purpose,
captured Colonel Hamilton's boats laden with S50,000 worth of supplies,
and their British con\'oy, while on their way from winter quarters at the
head of the Maumee, to and down the Wabash River for Hamilton's
army.

Some savages, principall\' Shawnees, with headquarters at old
Chillicothe on the east tributary of the Little Miami River, becoming
particularly annoying to the frontier settlers. Colonel John Bowman
County Lieutenant, with one hundred and sixty Kentuckians, co-
operating with nearly as many others under Colonel Benjamin Logan,
marched against them in May, 1779, destroyed their huts, caiitured
about one hundred and sixtv horses and other property, but were ob-
liged to retire with a loss of eight or nine of their troops killed, with-
out inflicting much other loss on the enemy. This expedition had a
wholesome effect, however, for Captain Henry Bird had at this time
marshalled a war party of two hundred savages who immediately de-
serted him upon learning of the Kentucky expedition.''

Al)out this time Colonel Rogers and Cajitain Benliam with a small
command of Americans suffered defeat near the mouth of the Licking
River, with a loss of forty-five or more of their men.T

The active series of murderous maraudings, instigated by Lieu-
tenant Governor Hamilton at Detroit, lessened for a time after his de-
parture for Vincennes ; but after his capture by the Americans the

* Captain Bird's letter from ' Upper St. Duski' ( Sandusky ) June 9, 1779, to Captain Lernoult com-
mandant of Kort Lernoult, Detroit — Canadian Archives.

tFor account of this disaster, and a pathetic account of the resources of wounded woodsmen, see
Marshall's and Butler's History of Kentucky, the Annals of the West. etc.

140 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

British redoubled their efforts in the West. Regular troops and militia
were sent from Niagara to Detroit to strengthen Fort Lernoult, the new
tort huilt there late in 1778 and early the following year, and named in
honor of Captain Richard Beringer Lernoult the officer who drafted its
plan and who succeeded to the command after the departure of Colonel
Hamilton. The work of the savages in the spring of 1779 not proving
satisfactory to the British, inquiries as to the cause were instituted.
Governor Haldimand wrote to Captain Lernoult July 23rd, that " I ob-
serve with great concern the astonishing consumption of Rum at
Detroit, amounting to 17,520 gallons per year." Such profuse flow of
this intoxicant impaired the ability of the savages for constant activity.
Only active persons were wanted ; and the British organization and dis-
cipline pervaded every quarter. Governor William Tryon of New York
wrote to Lord George Germain Secretary of State, London, under date
of July 2lS, 1779, that . . . " My opinions remain unchangeable re-
specting the utility of depradatory excursions. I think Rebellion must
soon totter if those exertions are reiterated and made to ex-
tremity." '

Captain Lernoult at Detroit did not prove himself equal to the
demands of his more cruel superiors, and he was superseded in October
by Major Arent Schuyler DePeyster, a New York tory of pronounced
character. Efforts were renewed to establish war parties of savages.
Some scalps were brought in, but the letters of the new commandant to
Governor Haldimand under date of October 20, and November 20, show
disgust at the great quantities of rum drank by the savages, and their
inefficiency — they refusing to make further effective raids from fear of
American retaliation.

The successes of the American troops in the West under Colonel
Clark, and the placing of lands on the market, induced many families
to remove west of the Allegheny Mountains in 1779. The winter began
early and was of unusual severity from cold and depth of snow. Hunt-
ing was attended with great difficulties, and game, when found, was in
poor condition. Many wild animals, as well as the domesticated ones,
died from insufficient food and water, and from the cold. The bears,
hibernating in hollow trees, were in the best condition and they were
much sought. The wild turkeys and grouse were the next best game
for food. The supply of corn iZea Mays) which was the only bread-
stuff for most of the people, was early exhausted in many settlements,
and great suffering was experienced particularly by those who came too
late to raise a crop. With the ojiening of spring new settlers came in
increased numbers. Three hundred large family boats arrived at the

♦London Document XLVII. Wew York Colonial Documents volume viii, paee "

fNCREASE OF AMERICANS. AND OF SAVAGE RAIDS. Ml

Falls of the Ohio, near the present Louisville, with immigrants from
the East during the spring of 1780.* It is but fair to ascribe their re-
moval largely to the lauded fertility of the soil and the mild climate,
while admitting that the desire to avoid conscription for the Revolu-
tionary army was an additional incentive.

The citizens and garrison of Detroit had also suffered from the se-
verity of the winter and the scarcity of food supplies. The savages
relied almost wholly on that post for their supplies, and they were
generally inactive during the cold weather. They were started out
early in the spring, however, and Colonel DePeyster reported May 16,
1780, that . " . "The prisoners daily brought in here are part of the
thousand families who are flying from the oppression of Congress in
order to add to the number already settled at Kentuck, the finest coun-
try for new settlers in America : but it happens, unfortunately for them,
to be the best hunting ground of the Aborigines which they will never
give up and, in fact, it is our interest not to let the Virginians, Mary-
landers, and Pennsylvanians get possession there, lest, in a short time,
they become formidable to this post." . . Ma>' "itith he wrote to
Captain Patt. Sinclair, who succeeded him at Michillimackinac as nom-
inal Lieutenant Governor and Superintendent of Aborigine Affairs, that
"everything is quiet here [Detroit] except the constant noise of
the war-drum. All the Seiginies [Saginaws?] are arrived at the in-
stance of the Shawnees and Delawares. More Aborigines from all quar-
ters than ever known before, and not a drop of rum !" . . He wrote
to Governor Haldimand June 1st that he had already fitted out two
thousand warriors and sent them along the Ohio and Wabash Rivers.

Great efforts, including an expenditure of near S300,000 had been
made in the fitting out of a larger war-party than usual to wholly subdue
the fast increasing numbers of Americans in southern Ohio and Ken-
tucky. The first of June this party, composed of about six hundred
savages and a number of Canadians led by Captain Henry Bird, started
from Detroit. They were well equipped, including two (one writer says
six) pieces of artillery, this being the first of such parties to take the
heavier guns. They passed up the Maumee and Auglaize Rivers, theii;
number being augmented by the savages along their route until, with a
force of nearly one thousand men, they appeared June 2'2nd before
Ruddell's Station on the south tributary of the Licking River in Ken-
tucky. Captain Ruddell, having no heavy guns, decided to surrender
on promise that the people gathered within the stockade should be
prisoners of the Canadians alone ; but the Aborigines made haste and at
the first opportunity seized the men, women and children, many of

*Mann Butler's History of Kentucky, pace S

142 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

whom they massacred and the others they carried into captivity. The
Station was completely destro^-ed. Martin's Station was taken in the
same way and its occupants suffered the same fate. Bryan's (or Bry-
ant's ) and Le.xington Stations were assailed on this expedition onlv
by savages without artillery, who were repulsed; but they took away
some live-stock that was grazing without \.hv stockades.

Possibly Captain Bird, and some other British companions of the
Aborginies, endeavored to exercise some control over the Aborigines to
prevent gross and indiscriminati.' butchery of captives. They well knew,
however, before starting out with these 'war-parties' that the savages
would have their way; that the savages permitted their company only
for the help derived from them to further their savage desires : and,
furthermore, that it was from their savage selfishness alone that they
spared the life of any captive, hoping thereby to find a desirable help-
mate, to have a keener enjoyment of savagery in the future torture, or
more sensuous enjoyment from the rum to bo purchased with the price
of the ransom.

Colonel De Peyster wrote further, 6th July, 1780, that . . .

I am so hurried with warparties coming in from all quarters that I
do not know which way to turn myself" . . . The 4th August he
reported to Colonel Bolton, his superior officer on the lakes that

I have the pleasure to acquaint you that Captain Bird arrived here
this morning with about 150 prisoners, mostlv Germans who speak
Englisii, the remainder coming in, for in sjiite of all his endeavors to
prevent it the Aborigines broke into the forts and seized many. The
whole will amount to about 3.')0. . . Thirteen have entered into the
Rangers,* and many more will enter, as the prisoners are greatly
fatigued with traveling so far [from carrying the plunder, and from the
scourgings imposed upon them] some sick and some wounded.
P. S. Please excuse the hurry of this letter — the Aborigines engross
my time. We have more here than enough. Were it not absolutely
necessary to keep in with them, they would tire my patience." t

^Proclamations weie issued from Detroit and elsewhere durinp the Revolutionary War in which
qreat inducements were ottered to the Americans to join the British army. These inducements to join,
coupled with threats to all who refused, were scattered broadcast throuch every pioneer settlement, and
many of the less patriotic, of the adventurous and bloodthirsty characters, were thereby led into the
British ranks.

tThe late General Lewis Cass, in a communication to the North American Review, thus quotes an
eyewitness to the return of Captain Bird's Savages : . . " Hearing the usual signals of success [sounds
indicating the number of scalps and prisoners given on the approach of a war-party to Detroit] I walked
out of town and soon met the party. The squaws and young .Aborigines had ranged themselves on the
side of the road with sticks and clubs, and were whipping the prisoners with great severity. Among these
were two yoiulg girls, thirteen or fourteen years old, who escaped from the party and ran for protection
to me and a naval officer who was with me. With much trouble and some danger, and after knocking
down two of the Aborigines, we succeeded in rescuing the girls, and fled with them to the Council House.
Here they were safe, because this was the goal where the right of the .Aborigines to beat them ceased.
Ne\t morning I received a message by an orderly-sergeant to wait upon Colonel De Peyster the com-

KENTUCKIANS PURSUE SAVAGES IN OHIO. DETROIT. MS

Colonel Clark had in mind an expedition against the savages in
Ohio before Captain Bird's invasion of Kentucky ; and now making
haste to Kentuckv with two companions, he so aroused the riflemen
that nine hundred and seventy were on the march the 2nd of August,
carrying a three-pounder cannon on a pack-horse. Their first objective
point was Old Chillicothe, which they found deserted, and the huts of
which they burned. They arrived before Old Piqua by the Miami River
in the morning of 8th August. This town is described as laid out in the
manner of the French villages, and substantially built. The strong log-
houses stood far apart, fronting the stream and were surrounded by
growing corn. A strong blockhouse with loopholed walls stood in
the middle. Thick woods, broken by small prairies, covered the roll-
ing country about the town. Colonel Benjamin Logan, second in com-
mand, became separated with a part of the Kentuckians from those
with Colonel Clark who led his men across the river and finally routed
the enemy before Logan came up. The Americans lost seventeen killed
and a large number wounded. The enemy's loss was less. Colonel
Clark burned the houses and destroyed the corn, at Piqua and at an-
other village with storehouses of British and French traders." He did
not find Captain Bird's cannon which was left at one of the upper
Miami towns on his return from Kentucky, and which his bombadier
in charge buried on the approach of the Americans.

Detroit was developed by the British as their headquarters in the
West from the time of their succeeding the French in ITtiO ; and so it
remained until the year 1796. It was the great rallying center of all the
western tribes of savages during this time : and the Americans had,
during the Revolutionary War, many projects for its ca])ture on this
account. General Lachlin M'Intosh, Colonel Daniel Brodhead, Gen-
eral George Rogers Clark, Colonel Le Balme, General William Irvine,
and others proposed plans for this purpose.

The march of M'Intosh into Ohio with one thousand soldiers, and
their building Fort Laurens on the west bank of the Tuscarawas
River in the fall of 1778, was a good step toward Detroit and it had a
repressing effect upon the savages for a time; but this fort soon ex-

mandine officer. I found the naval officer, who was witli nie the precedint: day, already there. The
Colonel stated that a serious complaint had been preferred against us by M'Kee the airent for the Abo-
rigines, for interfering with the .aborigines, and rescuing two of their prisoners. He said the Aborigines
had a right to their mode of warfare, and that no one should interrupt them ; and after continuing this
reproof for some time he told me if I ever took such liberty again, he would send me to Montreal oi'tjue-
bec. The naval officer was still more severely reprimanded, and threatened to have his uniform stripped
from his bacli and to be dismissed from his Majesty's service if such an incident again occurred. And
although I stated to the Colonel that we saved the lives of the girls at the peril of onr own, he abated
nothing of his threats or harshness." . .

*See Roosevelt's Winning of the West vol. ii, paces 104 to 111, for full description of this foray,
based on the Durrett. Bradford, M'Afee and Haldimand MSS.

144 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

perienced so many losses of men and horses from the rallyin^r foe that
it was abandoned in August, 1779.

Colonel DePeyster commandant of Detroit reported to General
Frederick Haldimand Governor of Canada on November 13, 1780, as
follows :

, A body of Canadians, as the French are called, commanded by Colonel La Balm*
were defeated on the 5th instant by the Miami Aborigines near that village [at the head
of the Maumee River]. The Colonel and between thirty and forty of his men were killed,
and Mens. Rhy, who styles himself aid-de-camp, taken prisoner. They relate that they
left the Cahokias on the iird of October with 41 men; that a large body were to follow
them to the Ouia [Ouiotenon] from whence Colonel La Balm proceeded to the Miamis
[now Fort Wayne, Indiana,] with one hundred and three men and some Aborigines,
without waiting for the junction of the troops expected, leaving orders for them to follow,
as well as those he expected from Post Vincent. His design was to attempt a coup-de-
main upon Detroit, but finding his troops, which were to consist of 400 Canadians
[Frenchmen] and some Aborigines, did not arrive, after waiting twelve days they plun-
dered the place [the Miami \'illages at the head of the Maumee] and were on their way
back when the Aborigines assembled and attacked them.

Three days later, 16th November, Colonel De Peyster again re-
ported that La Balme's command entered the Miami village, took the
horses, destroyed the horned cattle, and plundered a store he ( DePeyster)
allowed to be kept there for the convenience of the Aborigines. This
information was carried to Detroit by Miamis who, also, delivered to
De Peyster Colonel La Balme's personal effects, including a watch set
with diamonds, his double-barrel gun, regimentals, spurs and papers.
Governor Haldimand acknowledged the receipt of the Colonel's ' Com-
mission, etc.'t

General George Rogers Clark, recently promoted to Brigadier Gen-
eral, again revived his plan to capture Detroit. He wrote to President
Washington who knew the full imiiortance of such an expedition, but
he replied that . . " It is out of my power to send any reinforce-
ments to the westward. If the States would fill their Continental bat-

* Augustin Molton de la Balme reported that he came from France with General La Fayette; that
he had served as a lieutenant-colonel of cavalry in France, and as colonel in the .American army.
Richard Winston, Deputy, wrote to Colonel Jolin Todd Lieutenant of Illinois County, 31 October, 17W,
that . . There passed this way a Frenchman callinc himself Colonel la Balme in the American service.
I look upon him as a nralcontenl, much disgusted at the Virginians. Yet I must say he did some good —
he pacified the Aborigines. He was received by the inhabitants 1 French 1 just as the Hebrews would re-
ceive the Messiah. He was conducted from the Post here [Kaskaskial by a large detachment of the
inhabitants, as well as different tribes of Aborigines. He went from here against Detroit, being well
assured tliat the Aborigines were on his side. He got at this place and the Kahos ICahokial about fifty
volunteers who are to rendezvous at Oliia tOuiotenonl. Captain Duplaise from here went along with
him on his way to Philadelphia, there to lay before the French ambassador all the grievances this country
labors under by the Virginians, which is to be strongly backed by Monsieur de la Balme. 'Tis the gen-
eral opinion that he will take Baubin, the general partisan at Miamis Ihead of the Maumee Riverl and
from thence to Fort Pitt. . . He passed about one month here without seeing Colonel Montgomery,
nor did Colonel Montgomery see him.— Virginia State Papers, vol. i, page 380.

ISee Haldimand Papers; Michigan Pioneer and Historial Coliections, and Farmer's History of De-
troit and Michigan, volume i.

PLANS AGAINST DETROIT. CESSION BY NEW YORK. 145

talions we would be able to oppose a regular and permanent force to
the enemy in every quarter. If thev will not, thev must certainly take
measures to defend themselves by their militia, however expensive and
ruinous the system." . . Clark went to Virginia and laid his plans
before Governor Thomas Jefferson who favored them and, in 17^0-81,
about £500,000 depreciated currency was expended for this purjiose.
There was wanted, however, £300,000 more to complete contracts. This
sum could not well be raised ; nor were the troops forthcoming, for
various questions arose to deter volunteers from enlisting in this expe-
dition— objections to going so far from home : disputes regarding boun-
dary lines ; and the jealousies between Colonial and local officers, being
those most prominent.

The various claims of the eastern States to the territor}' west of
Pennsylvania and Virginia had been the cause of friction between these
States for years. These claims were based on the Colonial Charters and
treaties with the Aborigines, which were indefinite regarding boundar\-
on account of the great extent of the unsurve\ed regions. It was finally
advocated that each State cede her claim to the Union. In October,
1780, Congress passed an Act providing that territory so ceded should
be disposed of for the benefit of the United States in general : and that
the States organized therein should be of good extent — not less than
one hundred nor more than one hundred and fifty miles square. This
Act had a good effect and accordingly, 1st March, 17^1, New York as-
signed her claims ; but the other States did not act for three, four and
five years.

The savages renewed their depredations during the spring of 17*^1,
and raided far into Kentucky, and to the eastward. Colonel Archibald
Lochrey Cor Loughry ) Lieutenant of Westmoreland County, Penn-
sylvania, with about one hundred men who went west two years before
with Colonel Clark, started to rejoin him by the Ohio below the mouth of
the Miami River for the projected expedition against Detroit. They were
assailed by savages 24th August, 1781, about forty were killed and the
others taken prisoners to Detroit, including the Colonel. The savages
were soon thereafter reinforced by one hundred white men, and they
then raided south of the Ohio River.

These and other serious disasters caused fresh and increased terror
among all the frontier settlements. Governor Jefferson appealed to
President Washington for aid and received reply, written from New
Windsor "28th December, 1781, that . . " I have ever been of the
opinion that the reduction of the post of Detroit would be the only cer-
tain means of giving peace and securitv to the whole western frontier,
and I have constantly kept my eyes upon that object ; but such has been
the reduced state of our Continental force, and such the low ebb of our

146 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

funds, fspt-cially of late, that I fiavu never had it in my power to make
the attempt." . . General Clark was meantime kejU busy on the de-
fensive against the savages.

General William Irvine of Fort Pitt also investigated the condition
of affairs at Detroit with regard to an attack on that fort. He reported
to President Washington that . . " the British there had made treaties
in November, 1781, with thirteen nations [tribes] of Aborigines; and
at the conclusion they were directed to keep themselves compact and
ready to assemble on short notice. Secondly, the Moravians [Delaware
Aborigines who were instructed to neutrality by the missionaries] are
carried into captivity [to or near Detroit] and strictly watched and
threatened with severe punishment if they should attempt to give us
[Americans] information of their movements. Thirdlv, part of the
Five [Six] Nations [the Senecas] are assembled at Sandusky."

At this time, 7th February, 1782, the information was gathered
that the forces at Detroit were composed of three hundred regular
troops, from seven hundred to one thousand Canada militia, and about
one thousand Aborigine warriors who could be assembled within a few
days time.'^ It was also estimated at this time that an American army
to successfully attempt an expedition against Detroit should consist of
at least one thousand regular soldiers and one thousand militia, with
cannon, and supplies for at least three months. But it was impossible
for the Americans to gather such an army for this purpose and, conse-
(|uently, the well-prepared savage allies of the British continued to
inflict great havoc along the extensive frontier.

The savages becoming more aggressive, the Americans determined
on more positive defensive and offensive measures. A marauding party
of savages murdered a woman and child near the Ohio River and muti-
lated their liodies. These savages were pursued by about one hundred
and sixty militia from Washington County, Pennsylvania, under Colonel
David Williamson, to Gnadenhuetten a settlement of Moravian (United
Brethren ) missionaries by the Tuscarawas River a tributary of the
Muskingum. These missionaries and their Delaware Aborigine fol-
lowers had been taken to Detroit by forces under British command to
answer to Commandant DePeyster regarding charges of being friendly
to Americans. They were there exonerated of the charge and taken to
Sandusky. Being here short of provisions, a number returned to
Gnadenhuetten for supplies ; and these Christian Aborigines Colonel
Williamson's command assailed the 8th March, 1782, killed and
scalped sixty-two adults and thirty-four children. It appears that the
savages who committed the recent murders made good their escape

^ A review, or rough census of all the tribes of Aborigines tributary to Detroit in 1782. gave the
total number as 11.402 — Haldiniand Papers,

MASSACRE OF AND BY DELAWARE ABORIGINES. 147

after warning the mission Delawares to do likewise or they would
surely all be killed. Onh- two, youths, of the mission Delawares at
Gnadenhuetten and Salem escaped to find their way to Sandusky and
tell the fate of the others.* These Delawares were suspected of aiding,
if not participating in, the marauding incursions with the warriors of
their tribe and others — see ante page 134. They had been several times
warned of the danger of their position, aud even invited by Colonel
Brodhead in 1781 to remove to Fort Pitt, without effect. The mission
Delawares at Schoenbrunn, a few miles distant, escaped Colonel Wil-
liamson's soldiers and went to Sandusky, to the Maumee, and later
suffered several other removals. Their huts, with the others, were
destroyed.

This slaughter has an ugly look on the page of histor\\ It has
been a favorite subject of comment adverse to the Americans by many
persons, particularlv those who seek every opportunity to condemn all
disciplinary dealings with the savages ; and of those who overlook the
desperation to which the Americans were driven by them. It was the
action of men, or at that time was looked upon with favor by men who
saw at that moment no other course to pursue for the protection of
their own lives and the lives of their families. The Delawares had for
many years the reputation, even among their fellow Aborigines of
other tribes, of being particularly deceitful, treacherous and blood-
thirsty, and this onslaught was the reaping of but a jiart of the whirl-
wind which many of the tribe had sown in past years.

An unfortunate American expedition against Sandusky occurred
early in June, 17h2, with defeat and great loss of life, including that of
its commander. Colonel William Crawford, who was taken prisoner
and tortured to death with fire and woundings by the Delawares in the
most horrilile manner. t Emboldened by this success against Ameri-
cans, savage war-parties again increased in number and daring.
Captains M'Kee and Caldwell reported to the commandant at Detroit
the latter part of August, that they had ... " the greatest body of
Aborigines collected on an advantageous piece of ground near the
Picawee village that has been assembled in this quarter since the com-
mencement of the war . . . eleven hundred on the ground and
three hundred more within a days march. " . . This great gathering
was to oppose the (reported) coming of General Clark. Scouts soon

-'- Histon/ of the Mission of the United Brethren Among the Aborigines in North America, by
Henry Loskiel, London, 1794. Part iii, pages 180, 181. For many details of this massacre see, also.
Roosevelt's The Winning of the West: Heckewelder's Narrative of the Mission of the United Brethren ,
Zeisber«er's Diary: The Pennsylvania Packet: U. S. Department MSS. No. 41, volume iii; Hale's
Trans-Allegheny Pioneers, and the Haldimand Papers.

t For a full account of Crawford's unfortunate campaign see Expedition Against Sandusky, by
Consul W. Butterfield, Cincinnati, 1873.

148 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

reported that Clark was y;ivin^- attention in another direction and the
savages divided, mostly into small bands.

Somewhat over three hundred of these savages led by Captains
William Caldwell, M'Kee and perhaps Elliott, and one or more of the
Girtys and other renegades, passed southward across the Ohio River,
avoiding the gunboat and riflemen patrols that had been guarding the
border, and attacked Bryan's Station in Kentucky the 16th August.
They were repulsed with a loss of five killed and several wounded, while
the loss by the garrison was four killed and three wounded. They
retreated, and were followed by the rallying Kentuckians who were un-
wiseh' led against their superior number the 19th at the Blue -Licks,
and defeated with a loss of seventy killed, twelve wounded, and seven
captured. As was often the case, the enemy suffered loss of a much
less number — only one Frenchman and six Aborigines being here killed
and ten Aborigines wounded.* The loss of Americans amounted to
nearly one-half the number present, and nearly one-tenth of the avail-
able force in central Kentucky. It was the last severe raid, however,
suffered by this region, for General George Rogers Clark was soon afield
again, from his station at the Falls of the Ohio, and led the hastily
gathered one thousand and fifty mounted riflemen into Ohio. They
passed rapidly to the headquarters of the savages, principally Shawnees,
by the headwaters of the Miami Rivers where, the 10th November,
they overtook and killed ten of the fleeing enemy, took seven prisoners,
and released two Americans. All the cabins and huts were burned,
also a great quantity of corn and provisions which destruction reacted
directly against the British inasmuch as they, from motives of economy
to themselves, encouraged the planting of corn by Aborigine women,
and every bushel destroyed meant so much the more to be supplied by
them for the feeding of their savage allies. The dislodged savages
found refuge by the Auglaise and Maumee Rivers. They were followed
as far as the British trading post at the beginning of the portage to the
Auglaise River bv Colonel Benjamin Logan of Clark's command with
one hundred and fiftv men who destroyed the trading post there.

May 23, 17H2, the British Cabinet agreed to pro]iose independence
to the United States. Armistice was declared to the armies as soon as
practicable thereafter, but months were necessary to control the savage
allies of Great Britain to acquiescence in the terms of peace. A pro-
jected expedition into northwestern Ohio by Colonel Williamson from
Fort M'Intosh was stopped by this armistice. November 30th the
preliminary treaty was signed at Paris, closing the Revolutionary War.

"^ For details of this severe battle, see account in Roosevelt's Winning of the West, here based on
Levi Todd's (Colonel John Todd was anionc the killed) Boon's and Locan's letters given in the Virginia
State Papers vol. iii, paces 376, 2y0, 3ilO and 333, which show some other writers inaccurate.

TREATY BOUNDARY. LULL IN SAVAGERY. 149

Continued British Aggressions. The Aborigines.

The Treaty of Paris was concluded at Versailles 3rd September,
1783, about ten months after the preliminary agreement closing the
Revolutionary War. This Treaty distinctly set forth that the territory
southward of the middle of the Great Lakes and their connecting waters,
and eastward of the middle of the upper Mississippi River, should be-
long to the United States, and that Great Britain should withdraw her
troops from Detroit and other parts of this territory.

As with the British on their succeeding the French in 17B0, the
Aborigines were willing to go with the nation which extended to them
the most presents, and which most freely indulged their sensualities.
In May, 17H3, Benjamin Lincoln the American Secretary of War sent
Ephraim Douglas to the Aborigines of Ohio, and the west, to win and
encourage their friendliness to the United States. He arrived at San-
duskv the 7th June and passed some days with the Deiawares there, and
the Wvandots, Ottawas and Miamis along the lower Maumee. The
4th July he arrived at Detroit and Colonel De Peyster there called a
council at which the following named tribes were represented, viz;
Chippewa, Delaware, Kickapoo, Miami, Ottawa, ' Oweochtanos' Pianke-
shaw, Pottawotami, Seneca, Shawnee, and Wyandot: and, reported Mr.
Douglas, . . ' Most of them gave evident marks of their satisfac-
tion at seeing a subject of the United States in the country. They car-
ried their civilities so far that my lodging was all day surrounded with
crowds of them when at home, and the streets lined with them to attend
my going abroad, that they might have an opportunity of seeing and
saluting me, which they did not fail to do in their best manner with
every demonstration of joy." . . Mr. Douglas returned to Niagara
the 11th July, and his further reports lead to the inference that he did
not comprehend the full cause of the adherence of the savages to the
British during the war, nor the mercenary cause of their dogging his
steps during his visit : and that he had no foreboding of the manv
bloody years that were to follow. The British allowances had largely
ceased at the close of the war. The savages were therefrom now short
of rum and provisions: and they hoped to find in the new regime fresh
and more liberal supplies.*

*The cause of the popularity and continued successes of the British with the savages durint; the
Revolutionary War is plain. They outbid the Americans in their lavish giviny of intoxicants and articles
that delit^hted the savage palates and eyes, and in the general aid extended them for the free indulgence
of their bloodthirsty natures. The British expenditures for this purpose during the Revolutionary War
grew apace, and in the view of the central office the amounts became 'enormous' and 'amazing,' aggre-
gating millions of dollars. From 35th December, 1777, to 31 st August, 1778, there were received at De-
troit 371, 4«1 barrels flour ; 42,176 lbs. fresh beef; 16,473 lbs. salt beef; 203.932 lbs. salt pork; ig.T.W lbs.
butter ; and great quantities of mutton, corn, peas, oatmeal, rice, and rum. In the summer of 177H fifty-
eight-and-a-half tons of gunpowder was sent to Detroit from Niagara of which the savages received the
largest share, as there were in Detroit 30th August, 1778, but four hundred and eighty-two militia with

150 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

The British Government was fully apprised of the difficulties and
the improper aggressiveness of their conduct toward the American Abori-
gines before and after the close of the war. Colonel DePeyster early
saw the danger of the course prescribed for him and wrote to Governor
Haldimand that

I have a very difficult card to play at this post [Detroit] which differs widely from
the situation of affairs at Michilimackinac. Niagara, and others in the upper district of
Canada. It is evident that the back settlers [southward from Detroit] will continue to
make war upon the Shawanese. Delawares and Wyandots, even after a truce shall be
agreed to betwixt Great Britain and her revolted Colonies. In which case, while we con-
tinue to support the Aborigines with troops (which they are calling aloud for) or only
with arms, ammunition, and necessaries we shall incur the odium of encouraging incur-
sions into the back settlements — for it is evident that when the Aborigines are on foot,
occasioned by the constant alarms they receive (rem the enemies entering their country,
they will occasionally enter the settlements and bring off prisoners and scalps — so that
while in alliance with a people we are bound to support, a defensive war will, in spite of
human prudence, almost always terminate in an offensive one.

Immediately after the Treaty of Paris the British began to ex-
perience the embarrassment of their desired relation to the Aborigines —

little use for ammunition in and near the fort. David Zeisberger, the Moravian Missionary, compelled
by the British to remove to Detroit, wrote in his Diary, volume i, pate 32, under date 31st October, 1781,
that ..." We met to day Ljust east of the mouth of the Maumee River] as indeed every day as far
as Detroit, a multitude of Aborigines of various Nations, who were all bringing from Detroit horse-loads
of wares and k'ifts, and in such number that one would think they must have emptied all Detroit." .

The following list shows the character and ijuanlity of some of the articles estimated by the British
as wanting for the Aborigines at Detroit for the year ending 30th August, 17H3, before the treaty of peace,
viz : 330 pieces Blue strouds ; 20 pieces Red strouds ; 10 pieces Crimson slrouds ; 10 pieces Scarlet strouds ;
. 20 pieces Scarlet cloth 8s, 6d Sterling: 4,000 Pr. 2^ Pt. Blankets; 300 3 Pt. Blankets ; 500 Pr. 2 Ft. Blankets;
500 Pr. 1^2 Pt. Blankets; 1000 fine 2}2 Pt. Blankets; 1000 pieces 4^ linen, sorted; ia> pieces striped cali-
niancs; 100 pieces striped cotton; 2,000 lbs. Vermillion in 1 lb. bags; .50 pieces coarse nmslin; 20 pieces
Russia Sheeting; 100 Doz. Blk silk handkerchiefs; 20 Doz. Colored silk handkerchiefs; 30 Doz. Cotton
handkerchiefs; 250 pieces ribbon assorted ; 200 Gross Bed lace; 200 Gross gartering ; 30 pieces embossed
serge; 500 felt Hats ^2 laced; KXt Castor Hats '2 laced; 50 Beaver Hats ^2 laced; 500 Pieces White Melton;
20 Pieces Coating, blue and brown; 20 Pieces Brown Melton; 30 Pieces Ratteen, Blue and Brown; 1(X)
Common Saddles; 4a) Bridles; .500 Powder Horns; 20 Doz. Tobacco Boxes; 30 Doz. Snuff Boxes; .SO
Gross Pipes; 300 large feathers, red, blue, green; 300 Black ostrich feathers; 200 Pairs shoes; 251-t Pairs
Buckles; 100 Pieces Hambro lines; 10 Doz. Mackerel lines ; '0 Doz. Spurs; ,50 Gro. Morris BeJls; .50 Gro.
Brass Thimbles ; 6 Pieces Red serge ; 10 Pieces White serge ; 6 Pieces Blue serge ; 10 Gross Jews harps ;
500 Fusils [Flintlock Muskets]; 2tX) Rifled Guns small bore; 50 Pair Pistols; 5 Doz. Couteaux de Chasse
I hunting knives]; .50.000 Gun Flints; 60 Gro Scalping Knives; [The books of one jobber in Detroit also
show ' sixteen gross red handled scalping knives at ltX)s per gross,' and, again, 'twenty four dozen red
handled scalping knives,' sold to one retailer within a period of seven weeks in the summer of I7S;i]; 10
Gross Clasp Knives; 20 Gross Scissors; 20 Gross Looking Glasses; 10 Doz. Razors; 300 lbs. Thread as-
sorted ; 20 pieces spotted swan skin ; 13. IKK) lbs. Gunpowder; 36,000 lbs Ball and shot; 1 Gro Gun locks;
500 Tomahawks; .500 Half axes; 300 Hoes; 30 Gross tire steel; 10,000 Needles ; 400 Pieces calico; SO pounds
Rose Pink; 1.500 lbs Tobacco; 600 lbs. Beads assorted; 40 Gross Awl Blades; 40 Gross Gun Worms; 30
Gross Box combs; 6 Gross Ivory combs; 20 Nests Brass Kettles; 20 Nests Copper Kettles; 20 Nests Tin
Kettles; CO Nests Hair Trunks; 3(X) lbs. Pewter Basins; 100 Beaver Traps; 20 Gross Brass finger rings;
5,000 lbs. iron; I0(X) lbs steel; WO lbs Soap; 6 barrels White Wine; 5 Barrels Shrub; 400,000 Black Wam-
pum; lOO.OtK) White Wampum.

Silver Works :

la.tKX) large Brooches; 7000 Small Brooches; 300 Large Gorgets; 300 Large Moons; 550 Ear Wheels; 550
Arm Bands; 1.500 Prs. large Ear bobs; 1500 Prs. Small Ear bobs; Some medals chietly large; A large as-
sortment Smith and Armorers hies. — i Signed J A. S. DePeyster, Major King's Regt, Detroit and its De-
pendencies.

RENEWED BRITISH AGGRESSION. MILITARY POSTS. 151

of the difficulties in retaining their influence with them while lessening
expenditures on their behalf. Colonel DePeyster reported from Detroit
to Governor Haldimand's secretary ll^th June, 1783, before the arrival
of Ambassador Douglas, that . . . "We are all in expectation of
news. Everything- that is bad is spread through the Aborigines' coun-
try but, as I have nothing more than the King's proclamation from
authority, I evade answering impertinent questions. Heavens! if goods
do not arrive soon, what will become of me? I have lost several stone
weight* of flesh within these twent\- days. I hope Sir John [Sir John
Johnson British Superintendent of Aborigine Affairs] is to make us a
visit."

To prevent comjilications and consequent quarrels, Congress in
1783 forbade the purchase of land from the Aborigines by individuals
or companies. Agent Ephraim Douglas reported February 2, 1784,
that early in the fall of 1783 Sir John Johnson assembled the different
western tribes of Aborigines at Sandusky (American territory) and,
having prepared them with lavish distribution of presents, addressed
them in a speech to this purport, Simon Girty being the interjireter,
viz: . . . "That the King his and their common father had made
peace with the Americans, and had given them the land possessed by
the British on this continent ; but that the report of his having given
them any part of the Aborigines' lands was false, and fabricated by the
Americans for the purpose of provoking the Aborigines against their
father ; that they should, therefore, shut their ears against it. So far
the contrary was proved that the great river Ohio was to be the line
between the Aborigines in this quarter and the Americans, over which
the latter ought not to pass and return in safety. "

The impartial and unreserved historian must attribute a large pro-
portion of the trouble the United States has had with the savages, inclu-
ding their many savage butcheries, to the perfid>- and arrogant meddle-
someness of the British from the first. They were repeatedly im-
portuned to withdraw from this territory according to the terms of the
Treatv at Paris, and to let the savages in American territory alone.
President Washington sent Baron de Steuben of the United States Army
to Governor Haldimand l'2th Jul\', 1783, to ask that orders be issued
for the withdrawal of British troops from Detroit and other posts in
American territory whence they persisted in dominating the savages
throughout Ohio and the southwest. t The recjuest was refused, and
statements made that the treaty was provisional, and that no orders had
been received to surrender the posts. Governor George Clinton of New

*An English stone weiirht in the sense here used is fourteen pounds avoirdupois.

t See letter on the the subject of an Established Militia and Military Arrangements, addressed to
the Inhabitants of the United States by Baron de Steuben New York. 1784, in which is a suggested
treatment of the British at this time.

152 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

York was refused the surrender of Fort Niagara May 10, 1784. Another
unsuccessful demand for their surrender was made July 12, 1784, through
(the then) Lieutenant Colonel William Hull.* The British continued
to hold the posts of Detroit, Michillimackinac, Niagara and Oswego
until the year 1796; and in 1794 they built Fort Miami by the lower
Maumee ; whence they were a menace to the peace, and lives, of Ameri-
can settlers in this Northwest Territory, as shown on subsequent pages.

CHAPTER VI.

The Aborigines — Organizations — Hostilities — Defeats.
1784 TO 1791.

The Aborigines continued unsettled and threatening, and the
United States Government continued a pacific policy. The Legislature
of New York for some time after the close of the Revolutionary War
favored the expulsion from American territory of the Six Nations
(Iroquois of New York) on account of their instability and treachery;
but it was finally decided by Congress to bear with them, to keep them
as fully as possible from British influence and try to civilize them
through treaty and confining them to narrower limits, by gradually and
nominally purchasing their claims to territory unnecessary to them.
Accordingly the 2"2nd October, 1784, a treaty was effected at Fort
Stanwix, on the site of the present Rome, New York, when the Six
Nations relinquished all claim to the western country. These claims
were based on their, and the British, idea of right of conquest from the
western tribes, but they did not want to accord the Americans any such
right.

Virginia ceded to the United States all her right, title and claim to
the country northwest of the Ohio River March 1, 1784. t Congress
was prepared for this act and the committee, of which Thomas Jeffer-
son was Chairman, reported the same day a plan for its teniporar\-
government. The names proposed for the divisions of this Territory
(see engraving) not meeting with approval, they were erased from the
plan tlie 23rd April ; and later this suggested plan for division was
rejected.

'■'•'■ American State Papers, Foreign Relations volume i, page 181 e( sequentia.

t For account of the claims of the States to the Northwest Territory, see Hinsdale's The Old
Northwest: Donaldson's Pu6//c Doma/n .- Hildreth's H/s(ory 0/ Washington County: Smith's The St.
Clair Papers: Cutler's Life, Journal and Correspondence of Manasseh Cutler, etc. These claims
were not altogether valid. The Territory belonged to the United States from conquest.

EFFORTS FOR TREATY WITH ABORIGINES. LANDS. 155

PtAN roR
DIVISION orncWEST

BEFORE CONORCSS
MARCH lH/754

Continuing its humane policy towards the Aborigines, the United
States, bv commissioners George Rogers Clark, Richard Butler and
Arthur Lee, met the chiefs of the Chippewa, Delaware, Ottawa and
Wyandot tribes at Fort M'Intosh on the right bank of the Ohio River
at the mouth of Beaver Creek about twenty-nine miles below Pitts-
burg and 'ilst January, 1785, effected a treaty in which the limits of
their territory were agreed upon as the Mauniee and Cuyahoga Rivers,
and from Lake Erie to a line running westward from Fort Laurens bv
the Tuscarawas to the portage on the headwaters of the Miami River.
Reservations were made by the United States of tracts six miles square
at this portage, at the mouth of the Maumee, and two miles square at

Lower Sandusky. Three chiefs
were to remain hostages until all
American prisoners were surren-
dered b\- them.

Overtures for treaty and peace
were also made to the Miami, Pot-
tawotami, Piankeshaw, and other
western tribes but, through the
influence of the British and French
with whom they associated and who
were in opposition to the American
system of government, land surveys,
and definite land titles, the desired
treat\- could not be effected. But a
large council of these tribes was
held at Ouiotenon the next August
where savage raids on American
frontier settlements were incited.

The 19th April, 1785, the Legis-
lature of Massachusetts released to
the General Government her claims
in the Northwestern Territory, ex-
cei)ting Detroit and vicinit\- which
were released 30th May, IHOO.

The desire for western lands for settlement by immigrants from
the East being so great following the Treaty at Fort M'Intosh, with
the desire for action to adjust titles, that Congress, 20th May, 17''^5,
passed An Ordinance for Ascertaining the Mode of Disposing of
Lands in the Western Territory ' which provided for the survey and
marking of lines, townships, water power sites, etc. On account of
several disorderly persons having crossed the River Ohio and settled
upon unappropriated lands' Congress passed an Act June 15th pro-

^ ''»i-i'P5»«U5'^''^'-'5'^**Si\yin

1S4 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

hibiting such intrusions, and commanding the intruders to depart with
their families and effects without loss of time, as they shall answer the
same at their peril.' This action was taken to protect the lives of the
would-be settlers as two members of the four families who settled near
the mouth of the Scioto River were killed b}' savages in April: also
to allay the antipathy of the savages while preparing the country for
formal settlement. It was during this summer that the extensive pur-
chases of land by the Ohio Company of Associates, and by John Cleves
Symmes, were negotiated.

Great Britain, with her usual selfish arrogance, continued to hold
all the Great Lake forts. John Adams, United States Minister to
Great Britain, reported to Congress 30th November, 1785, that he had
demanded that the British withdraw their forts and posts from Ameri-
can territory, and that they objected with the statement that some of
the States had violated the Treaty of Paris in regard to the payment of
their debts to Great Britain.*

A few regular troops occasionally passed along the Ohio River
from Fort Pitt to and from Vincennes and Kaskaskia, escorting officers,
carrving dispatches and convoying supplies. The 22nd October, 1785,
Fort Finney was built by Major Finney's command on the bank of the
big Miami River about one mile above its mouth ; and here the 31st
January, 1786, commissioners effected a treaty with the Shawnees,
with Wyandots and Delawares as witnesses, wherein land was allotted
to them southwest of that allotted at the Treaty of Fort M'lntosh, and
extending to the Wabash River, with like conditions. Hostages were
retained for the return of American captives, as at the other treaties ;
but thev escaped, and very few captives were returned. The Miami
and western Aborigines were urged to participate in these treaties, but
thev again declined, being yet under British influence. t There con-
tinued a great removal of settlers from the East to the Ohio Valley; and
depredations on them by these savages became so frequent and
exasperating that a thousand Kentuckians under General Clark marched
to Vincennes against the Wabash tribes in the fall of 1786 ; but poor
supplies and disaffection among the volunteers caused a return of the
army without punishing the enemy. An expedition of nearly eight
hundred mounted riflemen under Colonel Benjamin Logan was also
fitted out against the hostile Shawnees. This expedition detourred the

"^The British armies impressed into their service and took away some of the negro slaves of
Americans; and these States desired to offset the value of these slaves against the levies of the British.
See Benjamin Franklin's articles on ' Sending Felons to America.' and his ' Retort Courteous ' for some
just sarcasm regarding the urgent haste of the British to be paid by the people whose property they
had destroyed. Compare The Laws of Virginia regarding these claims. Also the several Letters of
Henry Knox Secretary of War, No. 1.50, volume i.

t See the United States State Department MSS. No, .%. pages 345, 395; and No. 150.
Also the Haldimand Papers during 1784 to 1786.

LAND CESSION. DISAFFECTION IN OHIO BASIN. 155

headwaters of Mad River, in the present Clark and Champaign coun-
ties, Ohio, burned eight large towns, destroyed many fields of corn,
killed about ten warriors including the head chief, and captured thirty-
two prisoners.*^

The 14th September, 17^6, Connecticut released her claims to lands
in the Northwestern Territory in favor of the United States excepting
her ' Western Reserve ' from the forty-first degree of latitude to that of
forty-two degrees and two minutes, and from the western line of Penn-
sylvania to a north and south line one hundred and twenty miles to the
west ; and that State opened an office for the disposal of that part of the
Reserve east of the Cuyahoga River, the eastern boundary of the ter-
ritory allotted the Aborigines. This cession cleared this Basin of claims
bv individual States.

With the increasing po])ulation west of the Allegheny Mountains
the free navigation of the Mississippi became a paramount question,
and some misconceptions regarding Secretary John Jay's efforts toward
a treaty with Spain caused some commotion in the Ohio Valley to the
increase there of even the spirit of independence from the East.t Gen-
eral George Rogers Clark, whose commission had been withdrawn '2nd
July, 1783, on account of his services not being necessary and to
curtail expenses, acting with others at Vincennes decided to garrison the
abandoned Post Vincennes. A compan\' of men was enlisted early in
October, 1786, and the goods of Spanish merchants at Vincennes and
along the Ohio were seized with a 'determination that they should not
trade up the river if they would not let the Americans trade down the
Mississippi.' The Council of Virginia decided positively against these
measures 28th February, 1787, and, by resolution of Congress 24th Ajiril,
the United States troops on the Ohio were directed to take immediate
and efficient measures 'for dispossessing a body of men who had, in a
lawless and unauthorized manner, taken possession of Post Vincennes
in defiance of the proclamation and authority of the United States'; and
the recently brevetted Brigadier General Josiah Harmar with a small
force of United States soldiers took possession of the post, allowing
Clark and his followers to return to their homes. Thus was narrowly
averted a war between the United States and Spain and France combined.
The Americans engaged in these overt acts wrote to their friends that
Great Britain stands ready with open arms to receive and sup])ort us.
They have already offered to open their resources for our sup]5lies.' +

* M'Donald's Western Sketches: Dillon's History of Indiana. For full description of the temper
of the savaaes and of the settlers, and of ettorts of the treneral Koverninent for peace, see U. S. State
Department MSS. Nos. 30. .56, 60 and l.iO. Also Draper MSS. Wisconsin Historical Society Library.

t See Reports of Se'cretary John Jay ; State Department MSS. No. .HI, volume ii; Thomas M. Green's
The Spanish Conspiracy, page .'^1. etc.

+ See Draper MSS. Wisconsin State Historical Society Library ; and State Dept. MSS. Washintton.

156

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

The animus of Great Britain at this time is further shown by a let-
ter of 22nd March, 1787, from Sir John Johnson to Joseph Brant, the
most prominent Aborigine Chief in the Six Nations, regarding the miH-
tary posts still held by the British in American territory as follows : ' It
is for your sake, chiefly, that we hold them. If you become indifferent
about them they may, perhaps, be given up . . whereas, by sup-
porting them you encourage us to hold them, and encourage the new
settlements . . every day increased by numbers coming in who find
they cannot live in the States." . . Arthur St. Clair, Representative
from Pennsylvania, also reported 13th April, 1787, to Congress the con-
tinued infraction of the Treaty regarding these posts by Great Britain. *
The manv different schemes calculated to embarrass the struggling
young Republic, to deprive it of its rights, and even to disrupt it alto-
gether, were apparently aided if not initiated by the British. The noted
Virginia loyalist Doctor John Connolly, before mentioned, a full British
subject and resident in Canada, again became active, traversing the
Maumee in his journeyings in 1787-88-89 between Detroit and Kentucky
with efforts to alienate the Kentuckians from the East and to ally them
with the British for the purpose of capturing the Spanish territory on
the Mississippi and controlling the Mississippi Basin. General James
Wilkinson charged that Connolly was an emissary direct from Lord
Dorchester then Governor of Canada — and Wilkinson himself was not

free from suspicion of being en-
gaged in similar schemes, even
for the secession of Kentucky'
from the United States. The
probability of the correctness of
Wilkinson's charge, however,
was strengthened by the fact
that in June of this year the
British garrison at Detroit was
largelv reinforced by soldiers
from lower Canada, and the
next year the fortifications were
rebuilt and strengthened by
order of Lord Dorchester who
was then there. These warlike
preparations continued for some length of time, and similar prepara-
tions were occasionally made for several years. t Benedict Arnold

* Journals of Congres s. volume iv, payes 73.5, 739.

t See James Wilkinson's Memo/rs vol. ii; Charles E. A. Gayarri5's History of Louisiana, vol. Hi;
State Dept. MSS.; Virginia State Papers, vol. iv. Draper MSS.; Gardoqui MSS., etc. For accounts of
the treachery and savagery of the Aborikiines of these years see U. S. State Department MSS. vol. iii.
No. 1511; and Draper MSS.

CIVIL AND MILITARY ACTIVITIES. THE SAVAGES. 157

was reported as being in Detroit about the 1st June, 1790, inspecting
the troops; and the 25th August President Washington took official
notice of these British preparations which were evidently- for a Miss-
issippi campaign.

The Congressional Committee on the Territory Northwest of the
Ohio River reported, 7th July, 17H6, a plan for its division on the
lines existing to day, exce]iting that a line running due east and west
from the southernmost shore of Lake Michigan was drawn as the north
line of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, and the Straits of Mackinaw were
the northern line of Michigan. The map then used showed the south
end of Lake Michigan too far north, as will be described on later page.

The full Ordinance for the government of this Territory was made
a law the 13th July, 17H7. This 'Ordinance of 1787' marks an era in
legislative history, and it has received large attention by many writers.
The principal officers of the Northwestern Territory under this Ordin-
ance were appointed on the 5th October, 1787, to enter u]ion their
duties 1st February, 1788, as follows : Governor, Major General
Arthur St. Clair; Judges, Samuel H. Parsons, James M. Varnum, and
John Armstrong; Secretary, Winthrop Sargent. John Cleves Symmes
was subsequently appointed to the place declined by John Armstrong.
It has been estimated that within a year after the organization of this
Territory twenty thousand men, women and children from the eastern
States passed down the Ohio River to settle in this Territory or in
Kentucky.

The renewal of military prejiarations by the British had an exciting
effect upon the Aborigines who had long been impatient of their en-
forced quiet. The increasing settlements in southern Ohio, and south
of that river, on lands relinquished by the Aborigines in treaty, and the
completion of the organization of the Territory Northwest of the Ohio
River, were eagerly accepted as incentives for repeating their murderous
raids upon the settlements.

To allay the restlessness known to exist among the Aborigines
Congress, the 21st July, 1787, directed the Superintendent of Aborigine
Affairs for the Northern Department, or if he was unable to attend to
it then General Josiah Harmar, to proceed to the most convenient
place and make treat}' with the Aborigines of the Wabash River
country and the Shawnees of the Southern part of this Basin and of
the Scioto, and to grant them all assurances consistent with the honor
and dignity of the United States. These and repeated like efforts for
peace were unavailing. Thereupon the first instructions bv Congress
to Gove-nor St. Clair in 1788 were ; 1. Examine carefully into the
real temper of the Aborigines. 2. Remove if possible all causes of
controversy, so that peace and harmony may be established between

158 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

the United States and the Aborigine tribes. 3. Regulate trade among
the Aborigines. 4. Neglect no opportunity that otters for extinguish-
ing the Aborigine claims to lands westward as far as the Mississippi
River, and northward as far as the completion of the forty-first degree
of north latitude. 5. Use every possible endeavor to ascertain the
names of the real head men and warriors of the several tribes, and to
attach these men to the United States by every possible means. 6.
Make every exertion to defeat all confederations and combinations
among the tribes ; and conciliate the white people inhabiting the
frontiers, toward the Aborigines.

The County of Washington in the Northwest Territory was organ-
ized in 17HH within the present limits of Ohio: and Governor St. Clair
and the J.udges adopted and published laws, both civil and criminal,
for the government and protection of the Territory. These laws, how-
ever, were not operative in the Maumee River Basin for many years on
account of the Aborigine and British dominance.

» Governor St. Clair succeeded in effecting another treaty 9th Jan-
uary, 17h9, this time at Fort Harmar at the mouth of the Muskingum
River, with the Six Nations, also with the Chippewas, Delawares,
Ottawas, Pottawotamis, Sacs, and Wyandots ; all confirming the
boundary of the Aborigine claims to be limited between the Cuyahoga
and Maumee Rivers, and Lake Erie and a line extending from Fort
Laurens to Loramie, with the reservations to the United States and
other agreements embraced in the treaties of Forts M'Intosh and
Finney. These Aborigines at this treaty received from the United
States an additional sum of six thousand dollars. But a few weeks,
however, sufficed to again demonstrate their insincerity, and treachery
— their maraudings being resumed with the opening o£ spring.*

General Henrv Knox Secretary of War reported to President
Washington 13th June, 1789, that murders by savages were still being
committed on both sides of the Ohio River and that the inhabitants
were exceedingly alarmed through the extent of six or seven hundred
miles, that the settlers had been in constant warfare with the savages
for many years ; that

The injuries and murders have been so reciprocal that it would be a point of
critical investigation to know on which side they have been the greatest. Some of the
inhabitants of Kentucky during the past year, roused by recent injuries, made an
incursion into the Wabash country and, possessing an equal aversion to all bearing the
name Aborigines, they destroyed a number of peaceable Piankeshaws who prided them-
selves in their attachment to the United States. . . By the best and latest informa-
tion it appears that on the Wabash and its communications there are from fifteen hun-
dred to two thousand warriors. An expedition with a view of extirpating them, or

' See state- DepaitinenI MSS. Nos, 56. 71, 151; Draper MSS.: and Virginia State Papers, vol. iv,
page 149.

AMERICAN EFFORTS TO AVERT WAR WITH SAVAGES. 159

destroying their towns, could not be undertaken with a probability of success with less
than an army of two thousand five hundred men. The regular troops of the United
States on the frontiers are less than six hundred, of which number not more than four
hundred could be collected from the posts.

The posts referred to were Forts Pitt, Harmar, Steulx-n at the
Falls of the Ohio, and Vincennes. The Kentuckians again decided to
avenge some wrongs they had recently suffered and, 26th August, 1789,
Colonel John Hardin led two hundred volunteer cavalrymen across
the Ohio River at the Falls to the Wabash. They killed six Aborigi-
nes, burned one deserted town, and destroyed the corn found, return-
ing the 28th September without the loss of a man.

President Washington addressed Governor St. Clair the 6th
October desiring full information regarding the Wabash and Illinois
Aborigines and requesting that war with them be averted if possible ;
but authorizing him to call not to exceed one thousand militiamen
from Virginia and five hundred from Pennsylvania, if necessary, to
cooperate with the Federal troops. The Governor was also directed
to proceed to execute the orders of the late Congress regarding French
and other land titles at Vincennes and the Illinois country and other
matters of organization. A little later in the autumn of 1789 Major
Doughty's troops built Fort Washington, within the site of the present
City of Cincinnati, which fort served a useful purpose for several
years. Governor St. Clair and the judges started from Marietta about
the 1st Januarv, 1790, by boat and stopped at Fort Washington where
they organized the county of Hamilton, and changed the name of the
settlement about Fort Washington from that of Losantiville to Cin-
cinnati. Proceeding down the river, they arrived at Clarksville Hth
January, and thence to the Illinois country where they organized St.
Clair County to embrace all the Territory west of Hamilton County.

In consonance with President Washington's instructions, a promi-
nent French merchant of Vincennes, .Vntoine Gamelin, who well under-
stood the temper of the savages and by whom he was favorably known,
was commissioned by Major John F. Hamtramck to visit and conciliate
those Aborigines along the Wabash and Maumee Rivers. He started
on the 5th April, 1790, and his report evidenced a desire of the older
men of the weaker tribes for peace ; but the}' could not stop their young
men who 'were being constantly encouraged and invited to war by the
British' and they were dominated by the stronger tribes who, in turn
were dominated by the British from whom they received their sujiplies.
All reproached him for coming to thetn without presents of intoxicants
and other supplies. The 23rd April Mr. Gamelin arrived at the Miami
town, at the head of the Maumee River, where the Miamis, Delawares,
Pottawotamis and Shawnees united in telling him they could not give
reply until they consulted the British commandant of the fort at

160 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

Detroit ; and they desired, and obtained, a copv of the message of the
United States to them for the purpose of showing it to him. The British
traders at this village were ]iresent at the meetings. The Aborigines
promised to send to Major Hamtramck at Vincennes, in writing, their
answer within thirty days, which was their way of getting rid of him.

Commissioner Gamelin, being unable to accomplish more with the
savages, started from the Miami village on his return the :2nd May ;
and on the 11th reports were received at Vincennes that three days
after his departure an American captive was roasted and eaten by the
cannibals at the head of the Maumee River : and that all the tribes had
sent out war-parties, in addition to those already operating along the
Ohio River, who ambuscaded many new immigrants.

With hope to check the more active savages, the latter half of
April Brigadier General Josiah Harmar, United States Agent to the
Aborigines, with one hundred regular troops, seconded by General
Charles Scott with two hundred and thirty Kentucky volunteers, made
a detour of the Scioto River. They destroyed the food supplies and
huts of the hostile savages but shot only four of them — reporting that
'wolves might as well have been pursued.'

Early in July, 1790, Judge Henry Inness of Danville, Kentucky,
wrote to the Secretary of War that

1 have been intimately acquainted with this district from 178.'i, and I can with truth
say that in this period the Aborigines have always been the aggressors — that any incur-
sions made into their country have been produced by reiterated injuries committed by
them — that the predatory mode of warfare they have carried on renders it difficult, and
indeed impossible, to discriminate, or to ascertain to what tribe the offenders belong.
Since my first visit to the district in November, 1783. I can venture to say that more
than fifteen hundred persons have been killed and taken prisoners by the Aborigines ;
and upwards of twenty thousand horses have been taken away, with other property con-
sisting of money, merchandise, household goods, wearing apparel, etc., of great value.
The government has been repeatedly informed of those injuries, and that they continued
to be perpetrated daily, notwithstanding which the people have received no satisfactory
information whether the government intended to afford them relief or not. . . I will,
sir, be candid on this subject, not only as an inhabitant of Kentucky but as a friend to
society who wishes to see order and regularity preserved in the Government under which
he lives. The people say they have groaned under their misfortunes — they see no pros-
pect of relief — they constitute the strength and the wealth of the western country, and
yet all measures heretofore attempted have been committed for execution to the hands of
strangers who have no interest in common with the West. They are the great sufferers
and yet have no voice in the matters which so vitally affect them. They are even accused
of being the aggressors, and have no representative to state or to justify their conduct.
These are the general sentiments of the western people who are beginning to want faith
in the Government, and appear determined to avenge themselves. For this purpose a
meeting was lately held in this place by a number of respectable characters, to determine
on the propriety of carrying on their expeditions this fall.

Earlv in June, 1790, when yet at Kaskaskia, Governor St. Clair re-
ceived from Major Hamtramck report of the failure of his and Game-

GATHERING OF ARMY FOR HARMAR'S CAMPAIGN. 161

lin's mission to the hostile savages, and of the hopelessness of being
able to make a treaty for peace. Committing the Resolutions of Con-
gress relative to lands and settlers along the Wabash River to Win-
throp Sargeant Secretary, who then proceeded to organize the County
of Knox, Governor St. Clair returned by way of the rivers to Fort
Washington where he arrived the 11th julv. Here General Harmar
reported to him many raids and murders by the savages, and "it was
agreed and determined that General Harmar should conduct an ex-
pedition against the Maumee towns, the residence of all the renegade
Aborigines, from whence issued all the parties who infest our frontiers.
The Governor remained with us but three days. One thousand militia
were ordered from Kentucky, and the Governor on his wa}' to New
York the seat of the general government, was to order five hundred
from the back counties of Pennsylvania. The liSth September was the
time appointed for the militia to assemble at Fort Washington." * . .
Active preparations were instituted by General Harmar for this
campaign the object of which was not alone the present chastisement
of the savages, but also for the building of one or more forts by the
Maumee, and the establishing of a connecting line of refuge posts for
supplies and from which sorties could be made to intercept the savages. t

fn a spirit of deference that appears not only undesirable but ser-
vile at this distance. Governor St. Clair sent on the 19th September
from Marietta 'by a private gentleman' a letter to Major Patrick Mur-
ray-, Commandant at Detroit, reading that "this is to give you the full-
est assurance of the pacific disposition entertained towards Great Britain
and all her possessions; and to inform you explicitly that the expedition
about to be undertaken, is not intended against the post \'0u have the
honor to command." . . The only redeeming feature of this letter
is this sentence: "After this candid explanation, sir, there is every
reason to expect, both from your own personal character, and from the
regard j'ou have for that of your nation, that those tribes will meet with
neither countenance nor assistance from any under your command, and
that you will do what in your power lies to restrain the trading people
from whose instigations, there is too good reasons to believe, much of
the injuries committed b}' the savages has proceeded."

The command under General Josiah Harmar Commander-in-Chief
of the Army of the United States marched northward from near Fort
Washington, 4th October, 1790. It was composed of fourteen hundred
and fifty-three soldiers, viz : three hundred and twenty regulars ( in-
cluding one artillery company with three light brass cannon, the largest

■' Ebenezer Denny's Military Journal page 343. Published by the Pennsylvania Historical Society.

t InterestinE details reearding this proposed forward movement may be found in the American
State Papers. Aborigine Affairs volume i, page 100 et sequentia.

!62 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

a six pounder) in two battalions ; eleven hundred and thirty-three mili-
tia from Kentucky in four battalions, three of infantry and one of moun-
ted riflemen ; and one battalion of infantry from Pennsylvania. Some
of the Iventuckv militia were 'raw and unused to the L;un or the woods;
indeed many were without guns [when they reported at Fort Washing-
ton] and many of those they have want repairing. Our artificers were
employed in putting to right the militia arms. General Harmar was
much disheartened at the kind of people from Kentucky. One-half cer-
tainly serve no other purpose than to swell the number. . . The
colonels disputed about the command. . . There was much trouble
in keeping the officers, with their commands in their proper order, and
the pack horses, etc., compact.' . . — Denny's Military Journal.

The following account of the experiences of General Harmar's
army on the march to and within the Maumee River Basin is taken
from the diary of Captain John Armstrong of the United States troops,
when not otherwise noted, viz: *

October!], 17!)0. The Army moved at half past nine o'clock ; marched a north-
west course seven miles to a branch where French traders formerly had a number of
trading houses — thence a north course four miles to a small branch and encamped at
five o'clock. The country we passed over is very rich and level. Eleven miles.

October 12th. The Army moved at half past nine o'clock ; our course a little west
of northwest — crossed a stream at seven miles and a half running to the northeast on
which there are several old camps, much deadened timber which continues to the River
Auglaize [River St. Mary] about a mile. Here has been a considerable village — some
houses still standing. This stream is a branch [tributary] of the Omi [Maumee] River,
and is about twenty yards wide. From this village to our encampment our course was
a little to the north of west. Rich level land. Fourteen miles. t

October IHth. The Army moved at ten o'clock ; just before they marched, a pris-
oner [a Shawnee] was brought in, and Mr. Morgan from Fort Washington joined us.
We marched to the W. of N. W. four miles to a small stream through low swampy land
— then a course a little to the N. of W. passing through several small prairies and open
woods to an Aborigine village on a pretty stream. Here we were joined by a detach-
ment from Fort Washington, with ammunition. Ten miles. J

October 14th. At half past ten in the morning Colonel Hardin was detached for
the Miami village [at head of Maumee River] || with one company of Regulars and
six hundred militia — and the Army took up its line of march at eleven o'clock: a N. W.
course; four miles a small branch — the country level — many places drowned lands in
the winter season. Ten miles.

* See Dillon's History of Indiana paije 267, and Draper MSS. in Wisconsin Historical Society's
Librar.v.

t . . Half pound powder and one pound lead served out to each rifleman, and twenty-four rounds
cartridges to the musketry. Commandinc officers of battalions to see that their men's arms are in fiood
order and loaded. . . Denny's Military Journal pace .147.

^ Marched through a thick brushy country. Encamped on great branch [tributary] of the Miami
or Omee [Maumee! River [the River St. Maryl near the ruins of La Source's old house, about one
hundred and tnirty-five miles from Fort Washington — Denny, page 347.

II In consequence of intelligence gained of the prisoner that the Aborigines were clearing out as
fast as possible, and that the towns would be evacuated before our arrival ... it was impossible
for the army to hastep much, . . Marched over beech and white oak land generally, and no running

APPROACH OF HARMAR'S ARMY TO THE MAUMEE. 163

October l."">th. The army moved at eight o'clock, N. W. course, two miles, a small
branch; then north a little west, crossing a stream, three miles, N. W. course —
the Army halted at half past one o'clock on a branch running west. Eight miles.*

October Kith. The .^rmy moved at forty-five minutes after eight o'clock ; marched
nine miles and halted fifteen minutes after one o'clock. Passed over a level country,
not very rich. Colonel Hardin with his command took possession of the Miami town
[head of Maumee River] yesterday at four o'clock — the Aborigines having left just
before. Nine miles (over beech and swamp oak land — Denny). Colonel Hardin found
that the Aborigines had left behind them some cows, and large quantities of corn and
vegetables ; and the militia, in parties of thirty or forty regardless of discipline, strolled
about in search of plunder.

October 17th. The Army moved at fifteen minutes after eight o'clock ; and at one
o'clock crossed the Maumee River to the village (.several tolerably good log houses, said
to have been occupied by British traders; a few pretty good gardens with some fruit
trees, and vast fields of corn in almost every direction — Denny ).t The river is about
seventy yards wide — a fine, transparent stream. The River St. Joseph, which forms
the point on which the [main] village stood, is about twenty yards wide [low stage of
water] and, when the waters are high, navigable a great way up it. Major M'MuUen
and others reported that the tracks of women and children had been discovered on an
Aborigine path leading from the village, a northwest course, towards the Kickapoo
towns [on Eel River]. General Harmar, supposing that the Aborigines, with their
families and baggage, had encamped at some point not far from the Miami village,
determined to make an effort to discover the place of their encampment, and to bring
them to battle. Accordingly on the morning of the 18th, he detached Colonel Trotter,
Major Hall, Major Ray, and Major M'Mullen, with a force amounting to three hundred
men, and composed of thirty regular troops [under command of Captain John Armstrong
the writer of this record] forty of Major Fontaine's light horse, and two hundred and
thirty active riflemen. The detachment was furnished with three days' provision, and
ordered to examine the country around the Miami village. After these troops under the
command of (?olonel Trotter had moved about one mile from the encampment, the light

water. Country very flat and appears as if at particular seasons it was altoyether under water. . ,
This ni^ht the horses were ordered to be tied up, that the army might start by daylieht. with a view of
keeping as near to Colonel Hardin as possible. The distance to the Aborigine towns [head of Maumee
River] this morning [14th October! when the detachment went ahead, supposed to be about thirty-tive
miles — Denny, 347.

''' Every exertion made to get forward the main body. Difficult march this day [October l.^thl over
beech roots and brush. Encamped on the [tributary] waters of the Omee [Maumeel about one hundred
and lift.v-three miles from Fort Washington. Horses were again tied, grass cut and brought to them that
the army might not be detained next morning, as had frequently been the case : for although repeated
orders were given to the horse-masters to hopple well their horses, and directions to ttie officers and
men not to suffer them to pass through the lines, many of them, owing to the scarcity of food, broke loose
and passed the chain of sentries and were lost. Patrols of horsemen are ordered out every morning at
daylight to scour the neighboring woods and bring in any horses that might have passed the lines:
and the pickets turned out small parties for the same purpose. The cattle, also, every pains taken to
secure them. At evening when the army halts the cattle guard, which is composed of an officer and
thirty men, build a yard always within the chain of sentries, sometimes in the square of the encamp-
ment and place themselves round the inclosure, which secures them.— t)enny, page ,348.

t There were seven or more Aborigine villages near .ih^, three rivers within a few miles, at the time
of General Harmar's visit, or later, approximaSp/>,. as. fo^ljyws : Two of the Miamis, the principal one
situate on the east bank of the St. Joseph Rivei,-a|.its mouth, and, the other of thirty cabins was on the
west bank a little above. The Delaw^afiCS h^di two towns of forty cabins about three miles above the
mouth of the River St. Mary. Th^-Pottai-votamis had, one town of thirty cabins on the east bank of the
St. Joseph about three miles above ifs mputh ; and the Shawnees had two towns three miles below the
head of the Maumee. one on the north bank called Chillicothe having fifty-eight cabins, and one on
the south bank with. sixteen cabins. See Map anfe page 9*/.

164 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

horsemen discovered, pursued, and killed an Aborigine on horseback. Before this party
returned to the columns, a second Aborigine was discovered, when the four field officers
left their commands and pursued the Aborigine — leaving the troops for the space of
about half an hour without any directions whatever. The flight of the second Aborigine
was intercepted by the light horsemen, who despatched him after he had wounded one
of their party. Colonel Trotter then changed the route of his detachment and marched
in various directions until night, when he returned to the camp at the Miami village.*
The return of Colonel Trotter to camp, on the evening of the 18th, was unexpected
by General Harmar, and did not receive his approbation. Colonel Hardin asked for the
command of the same detachment for the remaining two days [first allotted Trotter]
and his request was granted. On the morning of the liHh the detachment under com-
mand of Colonel Hardin marched a northwest course on the Aborigine patht which led
towards the Kickapoo towns ; and after passing a morass about five miles distant from the
Miami village, the troops came to a place where, on the preceding day, a party of Abo-
rigines had encamped. At this spot the detachment made a short halt, and the com-
manding officer stationed the companies at points several rods apart. After the lapse of
about half an hour the companies in front were ordered to move on ; and Captain Faulk-
ner's company was left on the ground, the Colonel having neglected to give him orders to
march. The troops moved forward about three miles, when they discoverd two Aborigi-
nes on foot, who threw off their packs and, the brush being thick, made their escape.
About this time Colonel Hardin despatched Major Fontaine with part of the cavalry in
search of Captain Faulkner, supposing him to be lost ; and soon afterwards Captain
Armstrong, who commanded the regulars, informed Colonel Hardin that a gun had been
fired in front which might be considered as an alarm gun, and that he had seen the
tracks of a horse that had come down the road and returned. The Colonel, however,
moved on without giving any orders or making any arrangements for an attack ; and
when Captain Armstrong discovered the fires of the Aborigines at a distance, and
informed Colonel Hardin of the circumstance that officer, saying that the Aborigines
would not fight, rode in front of the advanced columns until the detachment was fired on
from behind the fires. The militia, with the exception of nine who remained with the
regulars and were killed, immediately gave way and commenced an irregular retreat,
which they continued until they reached the main army.+ Hardin, who retreated with
them, made several ineffectual attempts to rally them. The small band of regulars,
obstinately brave, maintained their ground until twenty-two [of the thirty] were killed,
when Captain Armstrong, Ensign Hartshorne, and fi\-e or six privates, escaped from the
carnage, eluded the pursuit of the Aborigines, and arrived at the camp of General
Harmar. The number of Aborigines who were engaged on this occasion cannot be
ascertained.il They were led by a distinguished" Miami chief whose name was Mish-e-

* The 18th October General Harmar issued a general order prohibiting the straggling of soldiers
from the camp which had been extreme: also for an equal distribution of the ' plunder.'

t I saw that the men moved off with great reluctance, and am satisfied that when three miles from
camp he had not more than two-thirds of liis command: they dropped out of the ranks and returned to
camp. . . —Denny's Military Journal, paiie^iQ.

t Of the militia forty are missing, but it is well known that very few of these were forward in the
tight. The conjecture is that most of them ran back from the rear and have pushed for the Ohio River.

Last night Captains M'CInre and M'fjuircy of the militia took a notion to trap some of the Abori-
gines who were suspected of lurking about after night to carry off straggling horses. A short distance
outside the sentries they close hoppled a horse with a bell on, and took their station in a hazel thicket but
a few yards off. It was not long until an Aborigine stalked up and seized the horse. The captains rushed
upon him. cut oft his head and brought it into camp, and claimed at least the price of a wolf's scalp. . .
— Denny's Militiary Journal, page 3.50.

II Captain .Armstrong, under oath at the court of investigation, estimated the number at one hundred
warriors. Colonel Hardin in a deposition which he made in I79I estimated the number at about one

SUCCESSES AND DEFEATS OF HARMAR'S ARMY. 165

ken-o-quoh, which signifies the Little Turtle. The ground on which the action took
place, lies about eleven miles from Fort Wayne, and near the point at which the Goshen
State road crosses Eel River.

On the morning of the I'.tth the main body of the army under Harmar, having
destroyed the Miami village, moved about two miles [down the north side of the
Maumee] to a Shawnee village which was called Chillicothe, where was published the
following orders:

Camp at Chillicothe, one of the Shawnee towns, on the Omee 1 Maumee] River, October 20th, 1790.
The party under command of Captain Strong is ordered to burn and destroy every house and wig-
wam in this villau'e, together with all the corn, Ac. which he can collect. A party ot one hundred men
[militia) properly officered, under the comniand of Colonel Hardin is to burn and destroy eftectually, this
afternoon, the Pickaway town [of the Delawares by the River St. Mary] with all the corn, cVc. which
he can find in it and its vicinity.

The cause of the detachment being worsted yesterday was entirely owing to the shameful cowardly
conduct of the militia who ran away and threw down their arms, without tiring scarcely a gun. In return-
ing to Fort Washington if any officer or man shall presume to Quit the ranks, or not to march in the form
that they are ordered, the General will most assuredly order the artillery to fire on them. He hopes the
check they received yesterday will make them in future obedient to orders.

iosiAH Harmar, Brig. General.

At ten o'clock, A. M., on the 21st the army moved from the ruins of the Chilli-
cothe village, marched about seven miles on the route to Fort Washington, and en-
camped.* The night being very clear. Colonel Hardin informed General Harmar that
he thought it would be a good opportunity to steal a march on the Aborigines, as he had
reason to believe that they had returned to the towns as soon as the army left them.
Harmar did not seem willing to send a party back ; but Hardin urged the matter, inform-
ing the General that, as he had been unfortunate the other day, he wished to have it in
his power to pick the militia and try it again ; and at the same time endeavored to
account for the men's not fighting ; and desired an opportunity to retrieve the credit of
the militia [deposition of Colonel John Hardin 14th September, 1791]. In order to
satisfy the request of Hardin, and to give the Aborigines a check and thus prevent their
harassing the army on its return to Fort Washington, General Harmar determined to
send back a detachment of four hundred men. Accordingly, late in the night of the 31st
a corps of three hundred and forty militia, and sixty regular troops under the command
of IVIajor Wyllys, were detached, that they might gain the vicinity of the IVfiami village
before day-break and surprise any Aborigines who might be found there. The detach-
ment marched in three columns. The regular troops were in the center, at the head of
which Captain Joseph ,\shtont was posted, with Major Wyllys and Colonel Hardin in
his front. The militia formed the columns to the right and left [see map ante page '.17].
Owing to some delay occasioned by the halting of the militia, the detachment did not
reach the bank of the Maumee till some time after sunrise. The spies then discovered
some Aborigines and reported to Major Wyllys who halted the regular troops, and moved
the militia on some distance in front where he gave his orders and plan of attack to the
several commanding officers of corps. Major Wyllys reserved to himself the command
of the regular troops. Major Hall with his battalion was directed to take a circuitous
route around the bend of the Omee [Maumee] River, cross the Pickaway fork [the
River St. Mary] and there, in the rear of the Aborigines, wait until the attack should be

hundred and fifty men. Some writers, on questionable authority, have given the number at seven hun-
dred. Captain Armstrong wrote that 'many of the Aborigines must have been killed, as I saw my men
bayonet many of them. They fought and died hard.'

* The army having burned five villages, besides the capitol town, and consumed and destroyed
twenty thousand bushels of corn in ears, took up their line of march back to Fort Washington and en-
camped eight miles from the ruins — Denny.

t Captain Asheton's testimony before the Court of Imtuiry. See Am. State Papers vol xii, page 28.

766 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

brought on by Major M'Mullen's battalion. Major Fontaine's cavalry, and the regular
troops under Major Wyllys, who were all ordered to cross the Omee [Maumee] at and
near the common fording place. After the attack commenced the troops were by no
means to separate, but were to embody, or the battalions to support each other as
circumstances required. From this disposition it appeared evident that it was the inten-
tion of Hardin and Wyllys to surround the Aborigine encampment ; but Major Hall, who
had gained his position undiscovered, disobeyed his orders by firing at a single Aborigine
before the commencement of the action. Several small parties of Aborigines were soon
seen running in different directions, and the militia under M'MuUen and the cavalry
under Fontaine pursued them in disobedience to orders, and left Major Wyllys unsup-
ported. The consequence was that the regulars, after crossing the Maumee. were
attacked by a superior force of .Aborigines and compelled to retreat with the loss of
Major Wyllys and the greater part of their corps. Major Fontaine, at the head of the
mounted militia, fell, with a number of his followers, in making a charge against a small
party of Aborigines ; and on his fall the remainder of his troops dispersed, leaving the
federal troops unsupported to become an easy sacrifice to much the largest party of
savages that had been seen that day. While the main body of the Aborigines, led by
the Little Turtle, were engaged with the regulars near the banks of the Maumee, some
skirmishing took place near the confluence of the rivers St. Mary and St. Joseph between
detached parties of Aborigines and the militia under Hall and M'Mullen. .^fter the
defeat of the regulars, however, the militia retreated on the route to the main army ; and
the Aborigines having suffered a severe loss, did not pursue them.*

About eleven o'clock A. M. a single horseman reached the camp of Harmar with
[very imperfect] news of the defeat ol the detachment. The General immediately
ordered Major Ray to march with his battalion to the assistance of the retreating
parties; but so great was the panic which prevailed among the militia that only thirty
men could be induced to leave the main army. With this small number Major Ray
proceeded a short distance towards the scene of action, when he met Colonel Hardin on
his retreat. On reaching the encampment of Harmar, Colonel Hardin requested the
General to march back to the Miami village with the whole army ; but Harmar said to
him, 'you see the situation of the army; we are now scarcely able to move our baggage;
it would take up three days to go, and return to this place ; we have no more forage for
our horses; the Aborigines have got a very good scourging; and I will keep the army in
perfect readiness to receive them if they think proper to follow.' t The General at this
time had lost all confidence in the militia. The bounds of the camp were made less and.

* It was my opinion that the misfortunes of that day were owintr to the separation of the troops, and
disobeyance of orders. After the federal troops were defeated, and the tiring in all ^juarters nearly
ceased. Majors Hall and M'Mnllen with their battalions met in the [site of the I town and, after dis-
charging, cleaning and fresh loading their arms, which took up about half an hour, proceeded to join the
army unmolested. I am convinced that the detachment, if it had been embodied, was sufficient to have
answered the fullest expectations of the General. . . — Testimony of Captain Joseph Ashton, Am.
State Papers vol. xii. page 2H.

The wings commanded by Majors Hall and M'Millen came upon a few Aborigines immediately
after crossing the Omee I Maumee] put them to flight and, contrary to orders, pursued up the St. Joseph
for several miles. The center division, composed chiefly of the regular troops, were left unsupported.
It would seem as if the enemy designed to draw the principal part of the force after a few of their people,
while their main body attacked Major Wyllys. The center division sustained a very unequal ftght for
some time. They were obliged at length to give way. The few that escaped fled in the direction that
the militia had gone, and met them returning from the pursuit of the scattering Aborigines. The enemy
followed and were met by the militia several miles up the St. Joseph; this narrow river was between the
parties; a smart tire commenced and was kept up. The Aborigines attempted to force their way across
but were repulsed, and at length withdrew. Our parties collected their wounded, and returned slowly
to camp— I^enny's Military Journal pages 3.'jl, H52.

t Deposition of Colonel John Hardin September 14, 1791 American State Papers.

CAUSES OF HARMAR'S DEFEATS. THE SAVAGES. 167

at eight o'clock on the morning of the 23rd October, the army took up the Hne of march
for Fort Washington and reached that place on the 4th of November, having lost in the
expedition one hundred and eighty-three killed, and thirty-one wounded.* Among the
killed were Major Wyllys and Lieutenant Ebenezer Frothinghara of the regular troops;
and Major Fontaine, Captains Thorp, M'Murtrey and Scott, Lieutenants Clark and
Rogers, and Ensigns Bridges, Sweet, Higgins and Thielkeld, of the militia. The Abo-
rigines, whose loss was about equal to that of ours, did not annoy the army after the
action of the 22nd of October.

The causes of the serious disasters attending General Harmar' ex-
pedition to the head of the Maumee, in addition to those stated above
were the alleged incompetency of some officers, insufficient discipline of
the militia, and the bickerings among some of their officers, causing
distrust, disorder and panic at the first attack of the enemy. General
Harmar, annoyed by adverse criticism of his conduct of this expedition,
asked President Washington "28th March, 1791, for a board of officers
to act as a Court of Inquiry. This request was granted and, after con-
sidering the evidence, he was acquitted. Nothing was said about his
failure to build the forts that had been thought desirable at first. Some
of the officials, however, had objections to the suggested forts in the
wilderness, such as the cost of their maintenance from garrisons and
supplies snd their narrow influence. But General Harmar's command
was prepared for such work, and not prepared for aggressive war as
the sequel proved. Had he built a strong fort at the head of the Mau-
mee immediately upon his arrival there, and garnered, instead of burn-
ing, the extensive products of the fields and, on his return, left a chain
of such forts, they would have been rallying points for soldiers to keep
the savages in check : for the commissioners of peace to these savages,
and for those of the savages who would gradually, one by one and tribe
bv tribe, have been won to peace. The moral as well as physical
effects of such forts were demonstrated by General Wayne, as is shown
in a later chapter. General Harmer resigned his commission the follow-
ing January, was made Adjutant General of Pennsylvania in 179^, and
rendered good service in furnishing troops for General Wayne's cam-
paign along the Maumee in 1794. t

The savages reported their loss as only fifteen to twenty. + They were
greath' elated at their success in defeating General Harmar's arm\'.
Like the Ancient Romans who returned home to celebrate their great
victories in triumphal processions, these savages went to Detroit the

* The whole number of the killed and missine of the army amounts to one hundred and eiyhty-
three, but it is verily believed that a number of the militia who are missing have deserted, and are on
their way to Kentucky — Denny's Military' Journal page 3.>1.

t General Harmar was addicted to the use of intoxicating beverages like many others of liis
time. See letter of General Knox of September 3, 1790, to him remonstrating against this practice in
Knox Papers in Library of the New England Historic and Genealogical Society, Boston, vol, xxiii,
page 169.

+ This report was probably of only one tribe or squad. Savages did not aggregate their losses.

168 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIM.

headquarters of their masters and allies the British, where they daily
paraded the streets uttering their demoniac scalp-yells while bearing
long poles strung with the scalps of the many American soldiers they
had killed.* Additional savage war-parties were started for the frontier
settlements. The British, also, were elated at the success of the savages,
exhibiting their pleasure by words condemnatory of the American polic}-,
and by their continued acts in supplying the savages for further atrocities.

It must be admitted that the conduct of the Americans coming in
contact with the savages from the beginning in governmental, soldiery,
and pioneer settler relations, had not always exhibited that thought-
fulness, dignity and unity of action that commands the full respect,
particularly of those at a distance ; and much of their later conduct, for
two years at least, was open to severe criticism. But the extenuating
circumstances, individual and general, were many and great, and such
as not to be fully appreciated by persons foreign to them.t

The anxiety, always present with the frontier settlers, now increas-
ed to a panic. The officers, local and general, whose duty it was to
guard and protect the legitimate settlers, had often been remiss in their
duties. While their physical resources were narrow, they had been
wanting in that broad comprehension of requirements that would have
begotten from the first more of a union of effort and strength of re-
sistance to the treacherous savages while accumulating means for that
complete subjection of them that was necessar\-. Now they became
even more disconcerted than before and their spasmodic efforts to pro-
tect the settlements with soldiers — to send embassies to placate the
savages at this inopportune time, while gathering an arm\-, meantime,
sufficient to overcome them and build forts throughout the forests,
which forests the savages had been taught by the French and British
never to give up, and in which determination they were yet being sus-
tained bv the British — all were again pointed to by the British and
savages as evidences of American insincerity and duplicity. Such was
the fruit of the long-continued pacific policy of the American officials,
if anv policy could be said to have existed. Their efforts had only
occasionally been awakened, with mere temporizing effect on the
enemies, to react unfavorably upon the settlements.

The Legislature of Virginia 20th December, 1790, authorized
Governor Beverly Randolph to provide for the enlistment of several
companies of rangers before the first of March for the protection of the
frontier; and Charles Scott was appointed Brigadier General of Ken-

* Compare Michigan Pioneer and Historical Collections, and Farmer's His. of Detroit.

t For many details regarding the ditierent questions and annoyances of these troublous times, the
inquirer is referred to the American State Papers, volumes relating to .aborigine, and Military Affairs:
also to the many MSS. that have already been referred to.

AMERICANS RALLY AGAINST THE SAVAGES. 169

tuckv militia. Early in January, 1791, Congress named General Scott,
Henrv Inness, John Brown, Benjamin Logan, and Isaac Shelby a local
Board of War for the District of Kentucky, with discretionary powers.
The third of March Congress also provided another regiment of
Federal Troops, and for raising two thousand militia for six months,
for the further protection of the frontiers; and President Washington
immediatelv appointed Governor Arthur St. Clair Commander in Chief
of this Army of the Northwest. Colonel Thomas Proctor was sent
12th March, 1791, to the Senecas in New York to gather an embassy
from them to the western tribes, but the British at Niagara would not
permit a boat to take them across Lake Erie in the American interest;
and through the British and Colonel Brant false reports were circulated
— that the United States were endeavoring to involve the Six Nations
in war with the western savages. Further illustration of the continued
British policy to dominate all the savages is given in the communica-
tions of their officers to the savages, and the savages deferring to their
request that all questions of moment should be referred to the British.
Radical operations against the savage retreats appearing necessarx',
and the result of Colonel Proctor's mission for intercession of the Six
Nations for peace having been awaited as long as practicable. General
Scott crossed the Ohio River 23rd May, 1791, at the mouth of the Ken-
tucky with eight hundred cavalry, and started for the historic Ouiotenon
on the Wabash River near the present City of Lafayette. Rain fell in
torrents with much high wind, but he arrived at Ouiotenon the first of
June after an estimated march of one hundred and sixtv miles across
the forested country with only trails for road. The last of the savages
were just leaving the proximal town when General, now acting as Lieu-
tenant Colonel-Commander, James Wilkinson pressed forward with the
First Battalion and destroyed all the savages with which five canoes
were crowded.' There was a Kickapoo town on the north l)ank of the
river from which a brisk firing was directed at the troops. The river
was high and soldiers were sent above and below to effect a crossing,
which was done by some swimming, and the savages were dislodged.
Meantime Colonel Hardin's command had discovered a stronger village
to the left which was surprised and six savages were killed and fifty-two
taken prisoners. The next evening General Wilkinson started with three
hundred and sixty men on foot, and early the next morning assailed and
destroyed the important town of Kethtipecanunk at the mouth of Eel
River eighteen miles above Ouiotenon, returning from this thirty-six
miles walk and work in twelve hours. All the villages and supplies
were destroyed. General Scott reported that " Many of the inhabitants
of this village [Ouiotenon] were French and lived in a state of civiliza-
tion. B}' the books, letters, and other documents found here it is evi-

170 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

dent that the place was in close connection with and dependent on
Detroit. A large quantity of corn, a variety of household goods, peltry,
and other articles were burned with this village which consisted of about
sevent\- houses, many of them well finished."* The 4th June General
Scott discharged sixteen of his prisoners who were less able to with-
stand the march, giving to their care a well-worded letter, addressed
to all the tribes of savages along the Wabash, requesting peace and in-
forming where his retained prisoners could be found. The severe rains
and the swollen condition of the streams, with his forced marches through
the trackless forest had disabled his horses and, his supplies being de-
pleted, he reluctantl\- directed the march southward instead of to the
Maumee, and arrived at the Rapids of the Ohio River 14th June. He
reported no death in his command and only five wounded, while of the
savages thirty-two were killed and fifty-eight taken prisoners, of which
the fortv-one not liberated were given to the care of Captain Asheton
of the First United States Regiment at Fort Steuben, on the site of the
present Jeffersonville, Indiana. His troops did not take any scalps.

General St. Clair recommended another expedition to the Eel River
to weaken those tribes which would join the Miamis against his army then
forming for the purpose of laying waste the strongholds, and establish-
ing a series of forts in the Maumee country. Acordingly Colonel Wil-
kinson with five hundred and twenty-five cavalry started from the vi-
cinity of Fort Washington (site of the present Cincinnati) northward
'feinting boldly at the Miami villages' and then turning northwestward
to the Wabash near the mouth of Eel River. The evening of the
sixth da\- out he cai)tured the savages' most important town known by
the French name L'Anguille — the Eel. This expedition then ranged
near the Wabash, passed through Ouiotenon, thence along General
Scott's route, and arrived at the Rapids of the Ohio 21st August, having
traveled four hundred and fifty miles, destroyed several villages and
over four hundred acres of corn 'chiefly in the milk' stage of growth;
captured thirty-four or more savage prisoners and killed ten or more
others. One American prisoner was released. Two soldiers were killed
and one wounded. Colonel Wilkinson also left behind some infirm
Aborigines unharmed, to whom he gave a letter addressed to the dif-
ferent tribes urging them to accept the favorable terms of peace that
were offered them. These letters were taken to the British who gave
their own desired renderings of them to the Aborigines.

General Harmar predicted defeat for General St. Clair's army
which was being gathered with great difficulties to operate along the
Maumee River. t This armv was not ready to advance until 17th Sep-

''■' American State Papers. Aborigine Affairs volume i, page 129.

1 Denny's Military Journal page 357, American State Papers. Aborigine Affairs volume i. page 118.

SAVAGES ATTACK GENERAL ST. CLAIR'S ARMY. 171

tember, 1791, when about twenty-three hundred soldiers, mostl\' regu-
lars, moved from the vicinity of Fort Washington and built Fort Hamilton
on the west bank of the Miami River at the site of the present Citv of
Hamilton, Ohio. Again advancing under command of General St. Clair,
they began to build Fort Jefferson, six miles south of the present-Green-
'ville, the l"2th of October. Twelve da>s later themarch again began, but
the progress was very slow. The evening of the 3rd of November the
army encamped by the Wabash River about one mile and a half east of
the present Ohio-Indiana State line. During the night there were man\'
savages near the pickets, and much firing of guns by the pickets, .\bout
ten o'clock at night General Butler, who commanded the right wing,
was desired to send out an intelligent officer with detachment of soldiers
to make discoveries. He chose Captain Slough, two subalterns and
thirty men for this purpose, but nothing alarming was discovered.

Early the next morning the army, then numbering about fourteen
hundred regular and militia soldiers, and eighty-six officers, was furi-
ously assailed by about the same number of savages, and it went dcjwn
to the most disastrous defeat ever suffered by such large numbers from
such foe. General St. Clair's Adjutant Ebenezer Denny thus de-
scribes the scene :'^

The troops paraded this morning [4th November, 171)1] at the usual time, and had
been dismissed from the lines but a few minutes, the sun not yet up. when the woods in
front rung with the yells and fire of the savages. The poor militia, who were but three
hundred yards in front, had scarcely time to return a shot — they fled into our camp.
The troops were under arms in an instant, and a smart fire from the front line met the
enemy. It was but a few minutes, however, until the men were engaged in every
quarter. The enemy from the front filed oft to the right and left, and completely sur-
rodnded the camp, killed and cut off nearly all the guards, and approached close to the
lines. They advanced from one tree, log, or stump to another, under cover of the smoke
of our fire. The [our] artillery and musketry made a tremendous noise [huddled
together as they were] but did little execution. The Aborigines seemed to brave every-
thing, and when fairly fixed around us they made no noise other than their fire [guns]
which they kept up very constant and which seldom failed to tell, although scarcely
heard.

Our left flank, probably from the nature of the ground, gave way first ; the enemy
got possession of that part of the encampment but, it being pretty clear ground, they
were too much exposed and were soon repulsed. I was at this time with the General
[St. Clair] engaged toward the right ; he was on foot [he had been sick some days] and
led the party himself that drove the enemy and regained our ground on the left. The
battalions in the rear charged several times and forced the savages from their shelter,
but they always turned with the battalions and fired upon their back; indeed they .seemed
not to fear anything we could do. They could skip out of reach of the bayonet and
return, as they pleased. They were visible only when raised by a charge.

The ground was literally covered with the dead. The wounded were taken to the
center, where it was thought most safe, and where a great many who had quit their

■ Denny's Military Journal, paee 369, et seq. See, also, American Pioneer, volume ii. pane l.'jO.

172 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

posts unhurt had crowded together. The General, with other officers, endeavored to
rally these men, and twice they were taken out to the lines. It appeared as if the officers
had been singled out ; a very great proportion fell, or were wounded and obliged to
retire from the lines early in the action. [Major] General [Richard] Butler was among
the latter, as well as several other of the most experienced officers. The men, being
thus left with few officers, became fearful, despaired of success, gave up the fight, and
to save themselves for the moment, abandoned entirely their duty and ground, and
crowded in toward the center of the field, and no exertions could put them in any order
even for defense; [they became] perfectly ungovernable. The enemy at length got
possession of the artillery, though not until the officers were all killed but one and he
badly wounded, and the men [gunners] almost all cut off, and not until the pieces were
spiked.

As our lines were deserted the Aborigines contracted theirs until their shot centered
from all points, and now meeting with little opposition, took more deliberate aim and did
great execution. Exposed to a cross fire, men and officers were seen falling in every
direction ; the distress, too, of the wounded made the scene such as can scarcely be con-
ceived— a few minutes longer, and a retreat would have been impossible — the only hope
left was, that perhaps the savages would be so taken up with the camp as not to follow.
Delay was death ; no preparation could be made ; numbers of brave men must be left a
sacrifice, there was no alternative. It was past nine o'clock when repeated orders were
given to charge toward the road. The action had continued between two and three
hours. Both officers and men seemed confounded, incapable of doing anything ; they
could not move until it was told that a retreat was intended. A few officers put them-
selves in front, the men followed, the enemy gave way, and perhaps not being aware of
the design, we were for a few minutes left undisturbed. The stoutest and most active
now took the lead, and those who were foremost in breaking the enemy's line were soon
left behind.

At the moment of the retreat one of the few horses saved had been procured for the
General ; he was on foot until then ; I kept by him, and he delayed to see the rear. The
enemy soon discovered the movement and pursued, though not more than four or five
miles, and but few so far ; they turned to share the spoil. Soon after the firing ceased I
was directed to endeavor to gain the front and, if possible, to cause a short halt that the
rear might get up. I had been on horseback from the first alarm, and well mounted ;
[and now] pushed forward, but met with so many difficulties and interruptions from the
people that I was two hours at least laboring to reach the front. 'With the assistance of
two or three officers I caused a short halt ; but the men grew impatient and would move
on. I got Lieutenants Sedam and Morgan, with half a dozen stout men, to fill up the
road and to move slowly ; I halted myself until the General came up. By this time the
remains of the army had got somewhat compact, but in the most miserable and defense-
less state. The wounded who came off left their arms in the field, and one half of the
others threw theirs away on the retreat. The road for miles was covered with firelocks
[flintlock guns] cartridge boxes and regimentals. How fortunate that the pursuit was
discontinued ; a single Aborigine might have followed with safety upon either flank.
Such a panic had seized the men that I believe it would not have been possible to have
brought any of them to engage again.

In the afternoon Lieutenant Kersey with a detachment of the first regiment met us.
This regiment, the only complete and best disciplined portion of the army, had been
ordered back upon the road on the 'Msl October. They were thirty miles from the battle
ground when they heard distinctly the firing of the cannon, were hastening forward and
had marched about nine miles when met by some of the militia who informed Major
Hamtramck, the commanding officer, that the army was totally destroyed. The Major

CRUSHING DEFEAT OF GENERAL ST. CLAIR'S ARMY. 173

judged it best to send on a subaltern to obtain some knowledge of things, and to return
himself with the regiment to Fort Jefferson eight miles back, and to secure at all events
that post. He had made some arrangements, and as we arrived in the evening, found
him preparing again to meet us. Stragglers continued to come in for hours after we
reached the fort.

The remnant of the army, with the first regiment, were now at Fort Jefferson,
twenty-nine miles from the field of action, without provisions, and the former without
having eaten anything for twenty-four hours. A convoy was known to be upon the road,
and within a day's march. The General determined to move with the First Regiment
and all the levies [militia] able to march. Those of the wounded and others unable to
go on were lodged as comfortably as possible within the fort. Accordingly we set out a
little after ten and continued our route until within an hour of daylight, then halted and
waited for day and until the rear came up. Moved on again about nine o'clock ; the
morning of the Sth we met the convoy ; stopped a sufficiency to subsist us to Fort Hamil-
ton; sent the remainder on to Jefferson under an additional escort of a captain and sixty
men; proceeded, and at the first water halted, partly cooked and eat for the first time
since the night preceding the action. At one o'clock moved on, and continued our route
until nine at night when we halted and made fires within fifteen miles of Fort Hamil-
ton. Marched again just before day. the General soon after rode on to the fort.
Troops reached [there] in the afternoon.

November 7, 1701. Fort Hamilton command was ordered off with a small supply
for the wounded. &c. About twelve same day continued our march, and halted before
night within fifteen miles of Fort 'Washington, which place we reached the afternoon of
the 8th.

The prediction of [defeat by] General Harmar before the army set out on the
campaign was founded upon his experience and particular knowledge of things. He
saw with what material the bulk of the army was composed ; men collected from the
streets and prisons of the cities, hurried out into the enemy's country, and with the
officers commanding them totally unacquainted with the business in which they were
engaged, it was utterly impossible they could be otherwise [than defeated] . Besides,
not any one department was sufficiently prepared ; both quarter-master and the con-
tractors extremely deficient. It was a matter of astonishment to him [General Harmar]
that the commanding general [St. Clair] who was acknowledged to be perfectly compe-
tent, should think of hazarding with such people and under such circumstances, his
reputation and life, and the lives of .so many others, knowing too, as both did, the
enemy with whom he was going to contend ; an enemy brought up from infancy to war,
and perhaps superior to an equal number of the best men that could be taken against
them. It is a truth, I had hopes that the noise and show which the army made on their
march might possibly deter the enemy from attempting a serious and general attack.
It was unfortunate that both the general officers were, and had been, disabled by sick-
ness; in such situation it is possible that some essential matters might be overlooked.
The Adjutant-General Colonel 'Winthrop Sargent, an old Revolutionary officer, was,
however, constantly on the alert ; he took upon himself the burden of everything, and a
very serious and troublesome task he had. But one most important object was wanting,
can't say neglected, but more might have been done toward obtaining it : this was a
knowledge of the collected force and situation of the enemy: of this we were perfectly
ignorant. Some few scouts out but to no great distance.*

* See also. Lieutenant Colonel William Darke's letter to President "Washington describing this
defeat; in the Henry Knox ( Secretary of War) Papers vol.'xxx. page 13, Library of the New England
Historic Genealogical Society, Boston. And Benjamin Van Cleve's Memoranda in The American
Pioneer volume ii. 1843. page 150 et seq.

174 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

In this overwhelming,' defeat General St. Clair's army lost five hun-
dred and ninety-three privates killed and missiny;. Thirtv-nine officers
Were killed, including Major General Richard Butler, one Lieutenant
Colonel, three Majors, twelve Captains, ten Lieutenants, eight Ensigns,
two Quartermasters, one Adjutant, and Surgeon Grasson. Thirty-one
officers and two hundred and fifty-two privates were wounded. The
artillery and all supplies including clothing, two hundred tents, three
hundred horses, one hundred and thirty beef cattle and food in the
wagons, with muskets and other equipment thrown nwny by many
stricken soldiers, all valued at S32,810.75, were left to lie gathered by
the highly elated savages who took to their lodges by the Maumce and
Auglaise Rivers all that could be readily transported.*

On account of necessary delavs, the cold weather and bad roads,
it required six weeks for St. Clair's Aide, Lieutenant Denny, to con-
vey on horseback the news of this crushing defeat to the office of Sec-
retary Knox in Philadeli)hia.t General St. Clair requested the ap-
pointment of a Court of Inquiry. This was done by the War Depart-
ment, and the Court exonerated him. He resigned his commission
March 5, 179"2. The jirinciiial causes of the failure of the campaign
were, 1st. The deficient number of good troops, according to the ex-
pectation in the early part of the year. 2nd. Their want of sufficient
discipline, according to the nature of the service. 3rd. The lateness
of the season. + The wet and cold condition of the weather which
covered the country with thin ice and snow, certainly added much to
the inefficiency of the volunteers who were unused to such campaign-
ing, and added greatly to their sufferings in defeat. But such con-
dition cannot be urged to account for the incompetency of the com-
manders. Nor should the illness of General St. Clair be an excuse for
the laxity in the fortifying and reconnoitering by his subordinates.
There were other unwise features of this campaign beside undiscijilined
men and incom|ietent officers. The wives and women of many soldiers
were with the army. They were favored as much as practicable,
but man}' of them were killed by the savages. ||

* A Delaware Aborigine named Whincwy Pooshies, of prominence in his tribe, took from this
battlefield to his cabin by the Aui:laise River near its mouth, two cood horses, four tents — one a good
markee (manjuee) in which his family lived for several years— a great ijuantity of ctothine from the
dead soldiers and their wives; also axes, guns, and everything necessary to make an Aborigine rich.
' There was much joy among them ' — From the Narrative of John Brickell who was then a captive living
with this family, in The American Pioneer volume i, page 50.

t For accounts of the reception by the President of the account of St. Clair's Defeat, see George
W. P. Custis' Personal Recollections of Washington ; Henry C. Lodge's Life of Washington, etc.

+ Statement of Henry Knox Secretary of War, Am. State Papers Aborigine Affairs vol. i, page 98.

II Caleb Atwater writes in his History of the State of Ohio, 1838. page 142, that there were in this
army at the commencement of the ac^tion about two hundred and fifty women of whom fifty-six were
killed in the battle. But few escaped death and captivity.

REMAINS OF THE VICTIMS OF ST. CLAIR'S DEFEAT. 175

General Wilkinson visited this battle-field about the last of Janu-
ary, 179'2, with one hundred and fi{t\' volunteer cavalrymen some of
whom were frost bitten on the way from Fort Jefferson. When within
four miles of the battle field they found scattered aloni;- the wa\- tlie
remains of Americans who had been pursued and killed or wlio had
died of their wounds while endeavoring to escape. The field was
thickly strewn with remnants showing horrible mutilations b\- the
savages. Sand and claj' were found packed into the eyes and throats,
done probably while the wounded were yet alive; limbs were separated
from bodies; and stakes the size of arms were found driven through
the bodies of women. The flesh had been stripped from many bones,
but the relative part done bv the savage cannibals and the wolves
could not be determined. The latter were yet at work. As many of
these remains as practicable on account of the cold and snow, were
gathered and buried in a shallow trench* dug into the frozen ground
with difficulty by the benumbed soldiers. Three whole cannon car-
riages were found and removed to Fort Jefferson; the other five were
in damaged condition. All the cannon were missing.

* General Wayne's army gathered and buried all bones that could be found at this battle held
Christmas week, 1793, previous to the buildiuR of Fort Recovery. Six hundred skulls were counted.
American Pioneer, 1842. volume i, page 294.

Pistol found in the Maumee River, at the mouth of the .^uglaise off Fort Dehance Park, in low
water of the summer of 189.5. Without mark to indicate date or place of its manufacture. Length nine
inches. Rifled bore. Cocked and ready for tirinc. In the Author's collection.

176 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

CHAPTER VII.

Continued Efforts to Placate the Aborigines Prove Futile —

General Wayne's Successful Campaign Against Them.

1792 TO 1794.

The savagt'S did not want peace with the Americans previous to
their defeat of General Harmar's army; much less would they complv
with the proclamation of Governor St. Clair or respond to various
other overtures made to them for peace after that disaster. They rallied
all the available warriors of the different tribes nearby — the Miamis
under Chief Little Turtle, the Delawares under Buckongehelas, the
Shawnees under Blue Jacket, the Ottawas, Wyandots, Pottawotamis,
Kickapoos, and bands of lesser significance against the on-coming of
General St. Clair, and their easy overwhelming of this the second large
armv, commanded by the Governor — the, to them, great American
chieftain — was to them the cause of excessive joy. This, with the
largely increased number of scalps and other rich spoils gathered from
their victims were looked upon as license for a continuance of their
raids on the settlements, and as omens of their ultimate success in
driving the Americans from the country on the plan of Pontiac in 1763.

The American frontier settlements, with increased apprehension,
sent more urgent petitions to the authorities for protection. Some of
these petitions represented that not less than fifteen hundred Kentuck-
ians — men, women and children — had been slain or carried into cap-
tivity by the savages within seven years, and that the frontier settle-
ments of Pennsylvania and Virginia had suffered nearly as much; and
that the prospect was now more gloomy than ever as the enemy was
more aggressive and savage.

On the other hand, the British were becoming more ajiprehensive
regarding their fur trade and the loss of their allies from the organiza-
tion of American armies. The defeat of two armies was sure to be
followed bv another army, stronger and more destructive. The Montreal
merchants whose lucrative traffic with these savages had lessened dur-
ing the more active hostilities, petitioned 9th December, 1791, Colonel
John Graves Simcoe Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada for protec-
tion; and suggested closer union with the savages and a continued
holding of the forts yet occupied by the British in American territory.

Secretary Knox 'in obedience to the command 'of President Wash-
ington, made the 26tli December an interesting statement relative to
the frontiers northwest of the Ohio River, which included this para-
graph, viz: Hence it would appear that the principles of justice as
well as policy and, it may be added, the principles of economy, all

CIVIL DIVISIONS. CHOICE OF GENERAL WAYNE. 177

combine to dictate that an adequate military force should be raised as
soon as possible, placed upon the frontiers, and disciplined according
to the nature of the service, in order to meet with the prospect of suc-
cess against the greatest probable combination of the Aborigine enemy.*
Messages and overtures for peace were again sent to the various tribes,
including the Iroquois Six Nations; and preparations for the proposed
armv were also entered upon.

To advance the civil jurisdiction as much as possible, Hamilton
County was extended 11th February," 1792, by Governor St. Clair

eastward to the Scioto River and
northward to the territorial limits,
thus including the eastern part
of this Basin although it was vet
held by the savages.

President Washington, having
been greatly disappointed in the
risult of . the expedition of Gen-
eral St. Clair who was a former
memfier of his staff, made choice
of the commander for the pro-
posed campaign with great cir-
cumspection. Generals Anthony
Wayne, Henry Lee, Daniel Mor-
gan, .Andrew Pickens, Rufus Put-
nam, Charles Scott, James Wil-
kmson and Alexander M'Gilli-
vray, were those of most prom-
inence from whom to choose ;

Civil Divisions existing in Ihe eastern part of the and AuthoUy WaVUe WaS Selected
Territory Northwest of the Ohio River in the year ^^j^lv in 1792. The result showed
1792.

the wisdom of the choice not-
withstanding the statement of General Lee that this appointment
caused extreme disgust among all orders in the Old Dominion.

Soon after this ajipointment General Wayne issued a proclamation
to acquaint the anxious frontiersmen with the efforts in progress to
secure peace by treaty, and to request all persons to avoid all action
that would further anger the Aborigines. The governors of Virginia
and Pennsylvania issued similar proclamations.

Major John F. Hamtramck effected treaties at Vincennes in March,
1792, with small bands of the Wabash and Eel River tribes, and he
also sent peace messages to those of the Maumee. About fifty chiefs

* American State Papers. Aborigine Affairs, volume i, page 198.

778 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

of the Six Nations also visited Philadelphia by invitation and accepted
the overtures for peace.

The 7th April General Wilkinson sent two messengers, Freeman
and Girard, with peace message to the Miamis of the Maumee ; and the
20th May Colonel John Hardin and Major Alexander Truman started
northward on a like mission — but not one of the four returned to tell
of the savage treatment, and death, they suffered.

General Putnam succeeded the 27th September in closing terms of
peace with thirty-one Aborigines of the Wabash and Illinois tribes at
Vincennes. Each of the parties to these peace negotiations carried
copies of the Treaties of 1784-85-i^fi-H9, and many expressions and
assurances by the Americans to turn the savages from their work of
carnage ; but all availed nothing with those more directly under the
influence of the British. The raidings by the savages continued
unabated.

Of the secret efforts to learn more regarding the relations between
the British and the savages, to be the better able therefrom to appease
the latter, but one succeeded on account of the vigilance of both the
British and savages. William May was started from Fort Hamilton
the 13th May, 1792, to follow on the trail of Major Truman. He was
captured by the savages, as expected, and after escaping many dangers
was taken along the Maumee, and sold to Matthew Elliott then British
Assistant Agent to the Aborigines from whose service he finally escaped
and gave sworn testimony before General Wayne at Pittsburg 11th
October, 1792.°^ This evidence detailed some items of interest, among
which are the following: There were gathered in the summer of 1792
by the Maumee River at the mouth of the Auglaise then the headquar-
ters of nearby tribes, three thousand and six hundred warriors of many
tribes, and more were often arriving at the time of William May's
sojourn there, all of whom received daily rations from the British at
Detroit.

This was the largest council of Aborigines held in America, and it
appeared to the British as the culmination of their hopes and efforts
for their confederation. The Seneca Chief Cornplanter and forty-eight
other chiefs of the Six Nations of New York were there for the Ameri-
cans in the interest of peace; and Chief Cornplanter reported to
General Waynet that . . . 'we cannot tell the names of the
nations present. There were present three men from the Goral nations;

■■' American State Papers. Aboricine Affairs, volume i. page 343.

t Idem pace 337.

+ Gora, or Gorah, was one of the names formerly given by the Six Nations (Iroquois) of New
York to Sir William Johnson and to Colonel Guy Johnson; and these Gora Aborigines were probably of
the Iroquois of Canada who were at this time under the control of Sir John Johnson British Super-
intendent of Aborigines.

GRAND COUNCIL. HOSTILITIES. PEACE EFFORTS. 179

it took them a whole season to come ; and twenty-seven nations [tribes]
from beyond Canada. The whole of them know that we, the Six
Nations, have General Washington by the hand.' . . This reference
was to their recent visit to Philadelphia by invitation, and the peace
treaty there effected. Other tribes were expected at this Grand Council
at the mouth of the Auglaise River, and they came later. A like
council was called for the next year, 1793, and runners were sent with
invitations to the most distant tribes in all directions, including the
Creeks and Cherokees of the south, urging their attendance.

William May, having been a sailor, was kept by his purchaser
three months in the transjjortation service on board a schooner that
carried about one hundred and sixty barrels as a load between Detroit
and the foot of the lowest Maumee Rapids, where was situated the
great supph^ house of the British Aborigine agent Alexander M'Kee,
from whom the savages received their supplies of firearms and ammu-
nition with which to raid and murder Americans wherever possible.

A number of small forts were built along the frontier as bases of
supplies and protection and places of refuge for the remaining Ameri-
can settlers. In addition to the attacks on individuals and families
along the borders, a company of mounted Kentucky riflemen under
Major John Adair was suddenly attacked November 6, 1792, near Post
St. Clair about twenty-five miles north of Fort Hamilton, by a party of
savages who exhibited 'a degree of courage that bespoke them warriors
indeed' reads the report of the Major: and six . Americans were killed,
five wounded, and four were missing. The savages also killed a num-
ber of packhorses and captured others. Their loss of men was thought
to be about the same as that of the Kentuckians. At this time the
army being formed by General Wayne was rendezvoused twentv-two
miles below Pittsburg for discipline, and to protect the Virginia
frontier.

For the purpose of continuing the efforts to secure peace with the
savages by further treaty. President Washington the 2nd March, 1793,
appointed General Benjamin Lincoln of Massachusetts, Beverlv Ran-
dolph of Virginia and Timothy Pickering of Pennsylvania, Commis-
sioners to attend the great council to be held at the foot of the lowest
Rapids of the Maumee, or at Sandusky the 1st of June. The 17th
May Messrs. Randolph and Pickering arrived at Fort Niagara and
there received a note from Lieutenant Governor and Colonel John
Graves Simcoe to be guests at his home. Navy Hall nearly a mile from
the fort; and there being no other suitable place for them to stop the
invitation was accepted. General Lincoln arrived 25th May. Mean-
time a letter was received from Colonel M'Kee, British Aborigine
Agent, stating that the tribal councils would probably not end bv the

180 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN. -

Maumee before the latter part of June, and the Commissioners would
best remain at Niagara until he notified them that the Aborigines were
ready to receive them.

Colonel John Butler, a leader in the Wyoming Massacre in July,
1778, now British Superintendent of Aborigine Affairs, and Captain
Joseph Brant of like notoriety, with a picked comjiany of fifty savages,
arrived at Niagara July 5th from the large collection of Aborigines then
at the British distributing house at the foot of the Maumee Rapids
(now the Village of Maumee) and requested explanation of the 'unfair
and unwarrantable' warlike preparations of General Wayne; and they
desired to know the authority for the trespassing of the Americans
north of the Ohio River, all of which thev claimed as territory belong-
ing to the Aborigines. The Commissioners in reply cited the several
treaties of previous years and the subsequent maraudings of the
savages in explanation, and exjiressed desire for peace: and agreement
was made to meet in full council at Sanduskv.

The Commissioners left Niagara the Ulth July and, awaiting a fav-
orable wind, the British sloop sailed from Fort Erie opposite the present
City of Buffalo the 14th, and arrived at the mouth of the Detroit River
the 21st where they were received, and entertained during their enforced
stay there of nearly four weeks, by Captain Matthew Elliott British
Assistant Agent to the Aborigines. They frequently urged an early
meeting of the Council at Sandusky, the place named bv the British.

The 29th Julv, a deputation of over twentx' Aborigines arrived at
Captain Elliott's from the grand council that had for weeks been in
progress at the foot of the Maumee Rapids, with the notorious Simon
Girty as interpreter. After a brief preliminary thev presented to the
Commissioners a short written communication from the council, the
principal sentence being that If you seriously design to make a firm
and lasting peace you will immediately remove all \ our jieople from
our side of that river' [the Ohio]. The Commissioners delivered to
them in writing a long and carefully prepared reply in which the
treaties of 1768, 1784-85-86 and 1789 were referred to in justification of
the advance of American immigrants into the territory north of the
Ohio, and with reasons why it was impossible at this late date to make
this river the boundary: that the United States Government was will-
ing to make liberal concessions to the Aborigines, as the treaty with
Great Britain declared the middle of the Great Lakes and the waters
which unite them to be the boundary of the United States; and they
closed with the desire to soon meet the general council in treaty.

The 8th and yth of August the Commissioners received reports
that all the tribes represented at the Maumee Council were for peace
excepting the Shawnees, Wyandots, Miamis and Delawares, and that

SAVAGES AND BRITISH REJECT OFFERED PEACE. 181

they were yielding': that manv Aborigines were tired of the long' delavs
and were departing for their respective villages. The Commissioners
desired to go directly to the Maumee Council, but this action the
British would not permit.

The 14th they wrote to the chiefs of the council again urging a
meeting for a treaty: also to Colonel M'Kee that his aid to this result
would be gratefully acknowledged. The 16th August a long and care-
fully written reply was received at Captain Elliott's by the Commis-
sioners closing with the assertion that if the Commissioners would not
agree to the Ohio River being the boundary 'a meeting would be alto-
gether unnecessary.' Appended to this paper was written the follow-
ing names of 'Nations' represented, viz: Wyandots, Seven Nations
of Canada, Delawares, Shawnees, Miamis, Ottawas, Chippewas,
Senecas of the Glaise [Auglaise River], Pottawotamis, Connovs,
Munsees, Nantakokias, Mohicans, Messasagoes, Creeks, Cherokees.

This communication was, undoubtedly, fully conceived and written
liy the British authorities : it was certainly approved by their censors.
This general council, as well as the one the year before by the Maumee
at the mouth of the Auglaise, was the result of British efforts for manv
years to federate all the savages that their dictated decision in council,
and united action in war, might become irresistable to the Americans.
Joseph Brant, leader in the Six Nations and generally a stanch friend
of the British, declared that such united action 'caused the defeat of
two American armies [Harmar's and St. Clair's] . . . But to our
surprise, when upon the point of entering upon a treatv with the
[American] Commissioners, we found that it was opposed by those
acting under the British government."' . . In replv the American
Commissioners sent to the chiefs and to the British Colonel M'Kee,
regretfull\', the statement that their efforts for negotiations were at an
end; including with the letters copies of the former treaties. + The
23rd August the Commissioners on their return arrived opposite Fort
Erie where they dispatched, by different runners, letters to General
Wayne and to General Knox Secretary of War announcing their failure
to secure terms for peace.

General Wayne believed further delay would be an undue expos-
ure of the frontier to the savage incursions and, 5th October, 1793, he
reported to the Secretary of War from near Fort Washington that his
available army remained small from Kentucky disappointments, from
fevers among his enlisted men, and from "the influenza [later called in
America by the French name La Grippe] which has pervaded the whole

* William L. Stone's Life of Brant, volume ii. page 358.

t American State Papers. Aborigine Affairs volume i. pages 340. 360.

182 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

line in a most alarming and rapid decree. . . This is not a pleasant
picture, but something must be done immediately to save the frontiers
from impending savage fury. I will therefore advance to-morrow with
the force I have in order to gain a strong position about six miles in
front [north] of Fort Jefferson, so as to keep the enemy in check.".
The 23rd October he reported, from this 'strong position' which he
named Fort Greenville in honor of his friend of the Revolutionar\' War,
General Nathaniel Greene, that

We have recently experienced a little check to one of our convoys which may prob-
ably be exaggerated into something serious by the tongue of fame before this reaches
you; the following is, however, the fact, viz: Lieutenant Lowry. of the 2nd sub-
legion and Ensign Boyd of the 1st with a command consisting of ninety non-commis-
sioned officers and privates, having in charge twenty wagons belonging to the quarter-
master general's department loaded with grain and one of the contractor's loaded with
stores, were attacked early in the morning of the 17th instant about seven miles advanced
of Fort St. Clair [twenty-nine miles above Fort Hamilton] by a party of Aborigines;
those two gallant young gentlemen (who promised at a future day to be ornaments to
their profession) together with thirteen non-commissioned officers and privates, bravely
fell after an obstinate resistance against superior numbers, being abandoned by the
greater part of the escort upon the first discharge. The savages killed or carried off
about seventy horses, leaving the wagons and stores standing in the road which have
been all brought to this camp without any other loss or damage except some trifling
articles. . . It is reported that the Aborigines at Au Glaize [present Defiance] have
sent their women and children into some secret recess or recesses from their towns ; and
that the whole of the warriors are collected or collecting in force. . . A great number
of men as well as officers have been left sick and debilitated at the respective garrisons,
from a malady called the influenza ; among others General Wilkinson has been danger-
ously ill ; he is now at Fort Jefferson and on the recovery.

The character of General Wayne, including his determination is
further illustrated in the following sentence, excerpted from the same
letter, viz: "The safety of the Western frontiers, the reputation of the
legion, the dignity and interest of the nation, all forbid a retrograde
manceuvre, or giving up one inch of ground we now possess, until the
enemy are compelled to sue for peace."'' His encampment at Green-
ville was fortified and part of the army passed the winter there.

Major Henry Burbeck was ordered 23rd December, with eight
companies of infantry and artillery, to proceed to the battle-field of
General St. Clair's defeat and there erect a fortification. This stockade
enclosure with blockhouses was given the name Fort Recovery.

The Aborigines, observing this steady advance toward their princi-
pal retreats, with fortifications, made a movement for peace; and
probably a treaty of peace could, also, at this time have been effected
but for the continued adverse influence of the British. Their desires
and continued efforts to 'unite the American Aborigines' which Gov-

* American State Papers, Aborigine Atiairs vohiiiie i, paye 1161,

MACHINATIONS OF BRITISH. FRENCH AND SPANISH. 18S

ernor Simcoe expressed at Niagara to the American Peace Commis-
sioners as 'the principle of the British government' was tor their own
Better control of them; and these efforts were continued also with the
Creeks, Cherokees, and other tribes along the American frontiers south
of the Ohio River, thus costing the United States many lives and much
expense there, also. In fact much of the open as well as of the secret
conduct of the British was not only reprehensible, but criminal. It
was they who kept alive the boundary question in its virulence, seeking
to extend their own boundary thereby while professing to favor the
Aborigines. The British desire for the traffic of the Aborigines had
something to do with this conduct: but they could not have been
actuated to their course by any complicity of the American authorities
in any other act inimical to their interest.*

These were troublous years to the Americans generally, they being
beset on all sides, by the British and Aborigines, and by the machina-
tions of the French and Spanish to involve them in complications with
Great Britain and, further, to again incite the inhabitants west of the
Allegheny Mountains to a separation from the East. The natural
outlet for the products of the Ohio Basin down the Mississippi River
had much to do with the continuation of the disaffection of the settlers
with the East; but the statesmen of the East were largely responsible
for its beginning, by their arguments against the extension of the
United States domain which they thought already too large to be
governed from one center. The Spanish and French emissaries took
advantage of these complicities at different times, and circulated their
schemes among the settlers of the West from Detroit to Kentucky and
the Illinois country. General Wayne well styled this complicity of
enemies to the United States an hydra. t

The Aborigine chiefs kept in close communication with the British
officials — not only with Elliott and M'Kee, but with Detroit, Lieu-
tenant Governor Simcoe of Niagara and with the Governor General
Lord Dorchester. In an address of welcome to the chiefs 10th Febru-
ar\-, 1794, Lord Dorchester spoke in part as follows: . . ' Chil-
dren, since my return I find no appearance of a [boundary] line re-
mains; and from the manner in which the people of the United States
push on and act [evidently referring to the advance of General Wayne]

■■ See President Washington's proclamation of neutrality, and Secretary Jefferson's remonstrance
reearding the overtures of the Spanish of the Mississippi to the Kentuckians. and also against the
incitings of the French Minister Edmund Charles Genest ( often written Genet ) to beget sympathy for
the French revolutionists against the British and Spanish. Also the American order to occupy Fort
Massac, situate on the north bank of the Ohio River eight miles below the mouth of the Tennessee, to
intercept all illegal transit — American State Papers. Foreign Relations vol. i, page 173 et seq.

tCompare American State Papers, .Aborigine Affairs and Foreign Relations. Also for a brief
connected account of these complicities, see The Winning of the West by Theodore Roosevelt.

184 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

and talk ... I shall not be surprised if we are at war with them
in the course of the present year; and if so a line must then be drawn
bv the warriors. . . . We have acted in the most peaceable manner
and borne the language and conduct of the people of the United States
with patience: but I believe our patience is almost exhausted."* . . .

This address was characteristic of the unlimited selfishness and
arrogance of the British: and the assertion of impending war — in
which thev were again to actively champion the savages in their most
horrid work — was not idle words. Lieutenant Governor Simcoe was
immediately sent to Detroit, he being there the iMth February: and the
17th April a letter from Detroit reads that "we have lately had a visit
from Governor Simcoe: he came from Niagara through the woods
he has gone to the foot of the [Maumee] Rapids, and three
companies of Colonel [Richard] England's regiment have followed
him to assist in building a fort there. "T

This fort was a veritable stronghold. It was named Fort Miami,
and situated on the left bank of the Maumee River near the lower limits
of the present Village of Maumee, which was then as now, a great
advance into United States territory. M'Kee's Agency house was one
mile and a half above this fort and near the foot of the lowest rapids. +
The reinforcement of General Waxne's command by Kentucky troops
and all their movements were regularly rejjorted at Forts Miami and
Lernoult at Detroit: and at the advance of his army Fort Miami was
strengthened and further garrisoned, and Major William Campbell
succeeded Captain Caldwell its first commandant. President Washing-
ton, through Edmund Randoliih Secretary of State, complained to the
British Government regarding Lord Dorchester's address to the
savages, which had been widely circulated among them and the Ameri-
cans: and he also protested against Fort Miami. The reply showed
that the London Government instigated the aggressions, and it offered
no relief. II

General Wayne reported 7th |ul\-, 1794, from his headquarters at
Greenville that

At seven o'clock in the morning of the UOth ultimo one of our escorts consisting of
ninety riflemen and fifty dragoons commanded by Major McMahon, was attacked by a
numerous body of Aborigines under the walls of Fort Recovery, followed by a general
assault upon that post and garrison [of about two hundred men] in every direction. The
enemy were soon repulsed with great slaughter, but immediately rallied and reiterated
the attack keeping up a very heavy and constant fire at a more respectable distance for

* A verified copy from the Archives of the London Foreign Office. See Rives' Life and Times OJ
James Madison volume iii, page 418. Also Roosevelt's The Winning of ttie West, volume iv. page 57.

t American State Papers. Aborigine Affairs volume i, page 480,

+ See M'Kee's letter to Chew of 8th May. 17&4. In Canadian Archives at Ottawa.

II American State Papers. Foreign Relations volume i.

SAVAGES ATTACK FORT RECOVERY. 185

the remainder of the day, which was answered with spirit and effect by the garrison and
a part of Major McMahon's command that had regained the post. The savages were
employed during the night (which was dark and foggy) in carrying off their dead bv
torch light, which occasionally drew a fire from the garrison. They, nevertheless, suc-
ceeded so well that there were but eight or ten bodies left upon the field, and those close
under the range of the guns of the fort.

The enemy again renewed the attack on the morning of the ist instant, but were
ultimately compelled to retreat with loss and disgrace from that verv field where thev
had upon a former occasion been proudly victorious.

It was apparent that 'there were a considerable number ot the
British and the militia of Detroit"^ mixed with the savages in the
assault' and they expected to find the cannon lost bv General St.
Clair: but these had been found by the /Vmericanst who used them
against the assailants. The American loss by the assault on Fort
Recovery was twenty-two killed, thirty wounded and three missing.
Of the horses fifty-nine were killed, twenty-two wounded, and two
hundred and twenty-one were missing: but the General reported that
their loss would not in the least retard the advance of the legion after
the arrival of the expected mounted volunteers from Kentuck\-.

The British had, also, been again holding communication with the
Spanish of the Mississippi who promised to help them against the
Americans: and MTvee was supplying the savages with the best of
firearms (rifles) and other articles of war. These were used in the
attack at Fort Recovery: and a party of Delawares and Shawnees
afterward presented six American scalps before M'Kee and addressed
him as follows: 'We had two actions with Wayne's troops in which a
great many of our enemies were killed. Part of their flesh we have
brought here with us to convince our friend of the truth of their being
now in great force on their march against us: therefore. Father, we
desire you to be strong and bid your children make haste to our assist-
ance as was promised by them." +

In further confirmation of the reprehensible action of the British,
and their fears that the Americans would retaliate, the following letters
from Colonel Alexander M'Kee British .\gent to these Aborigines,
written to Colonel Richard England Commandant at Detroit, are
given, they being endorsed 'On His Majesty's Service' viz:||

* American Stale Papers, .^borinine Affairs volume i, pates 4HH-K9.

t All of these cannon, but one, were early found hidden under old trees and debris. Tlie
missing one was reported by a Shawnee, by way of Little Turtle, to Colonel Hamtranick 9th December.
1795. as buried at the confluence of the water courses near St. Clair's Battle Field.

i M'Kee's letters 7th. 8th, 25th and 30th. May. 1794. in Canadian Archives. See. also, letter of
Carondelet 9th July, 1794, in the Draper Spanish Documents Madison, Wisconsin. Quoted in Roose-
velt's The Winning of the West. G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1899, volume iv.

II National Intelligencer, Washington. District of Columbia, a6th July, 1814.

786 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

[Maumee] Rapids. July 5, 1794.

Sir : I send this by a party of Saganas [Saginaw Aborigines] who returned yes-
terday from Fort Recovery where the whole body of Aborigines, except the Delawares
who had gone another route, imprudently attacked the fort on Monday the 30th of last
month, and lost Ki or 17 men besides a good many wounded.

Everything had been settled prior to their leaving the fallen timber, and it had
been agreed upon to confine themselves to taking convoys and attacking at a distance
from the forts, if they should have the address to entice the enemy [Americans] out ;
but the impetuosity of the Mackinac Aborigines and their eagerness to begin with the
nearest, prevailed with the others to alter their system, the consequences of which from
the present appearance of things may most materially injure the interests of these people.
Both the Mackina and Lake Aborigines seemed resolved on going home again, having
completed the belts they carried with scalps and prisoners, and having no provisions
there at the Glaize [the present Defiance] to subsist upon, so that His Majesty's posts
will derive no security from the late great influx of Aborigines into this part of the
country, should they persist in their resolution of returning so soon.

The immediate object of the attack was three hundred pack horses going from this
fort [Recovery] to Fort Greenville, in which the Aborigines completely succeeded, taking
and killing all of them. But the commanding officer. Captain Gibson, sending out a
troop of cavalry, and bringing his infantry out in the front of his post, the Aborigines
attacked him and killed about fifty, among whom is Captain Gibson and two other
officers. On the near approach of the Aborigines to the fort, the remains of his gar-
rison retired into it, and from their loopholes killed and wounded as already men-
tioned. Captain Elliott writes that they are immediately to hold a council at the Glaize
[Auglaise or Grand Glaise, site of the present Defiance, Ohio] in order to try if they can
prevail upon the Lake Aborigines to remain ; but without provisions, ammunition, &c.,
being sent to that place, I conceive it will be extremely difficult to keep them together.

With great respect, I have the honor to be

Your obedient and humble servant,

A. McKee.

Another letter from the same to the same one week before the
Battle of Fallen Timber, reads as follows:

[Maumee] Rapids, August 13. 1794.

Sir : I was honored last night with your letter of the 11th. and was extremely glad
to find you are making such exertions to supply the Aborigines with provisions.

Captain Elliott arrived yesterday ; what he has brought will greatly relieve us, hav-
ing been obliged yesterday to take all the corn and flour which the traders had here.

A scouting party from the Americans carried oft a man and a woman yesterday
morning between this place and Roche de Bout, and afterwards attacked a small party
of Delawares in their camp: but they were repulsed with the loss of a man, whom they
either hid or threw into the river. They killed a Delaware woman.* Scouts are sent

*Captain John McDonald, in a small book of Biographical Slietches published in Cincinnati in 1838,
+:ives the following account of the doings of some of the most daring men of those savage times in itiis
Maumee Basin where savagery had then focused. Captain McDonald was a member of Captain
Ephraim Kibby's Company of Rangers with General Wayne's army and was well informed regarding
what he wiote. Some of these daring acts are recounted here in as near his own words as
space will admit, as the best possible glimpses of Americans who met savagery in its lair and contributed
largely to the success of a most important and daring military campaign:

Captain William Wells commanded an effective division of spies with General Wayne's army.
Wells was captured by the Miamis when about twelve years of age and grew to manhood with them and
could speak the language of several tribes. He left <he Aborigines [ particulars not known } in spring of

DARING DEEDS OF AMERICAN SCOUTS. 187

up to view the situation of the army; and we now muster 1000 Aborigines. All the
Lake Aborigines from Sagina downwards should not lose one moment in joininti their
brethren, as every accession of strength is an addition to their spirits.
I have the honor to be, with very great respect sir.

Your most obedient and very humble servant.

A. McKhe.

1792, or about eighteen months before the coming of General Wayne, and returned to his relatives ( place
not given). Attached to Wells's command in General Wayne's army were Robert M' Lei Ian [see Irving "s
Astoria) a most athletic man; Henry Miller who had also been a captive with the savages, older brother

of Christopher Miller who vs-ill be mentioned later; also Hickman and Thorp, all of tried

worth in warfare again:^t the savages. Wells and his four spies soon became confidential and privileged
gentlemen in camp, who were only called upon to do duty on very particular and interesting occasions.
They were permitted a carte blanche among the horses of the dragoons and when on duty went well
mounted, whilst the spies commanded by Captain Kibby went on foot and were kept constantly on tlie
alert, scouring the country in every direction.

At Greenville General Wayne sent out Wells and his spies to bring in a prisoner. They proceeded
to the Auglaise River where they soon discovered a smoke. They dismounted, tied their horses, and
proceeded cautiously to reconnoiter. They found three Aborigines camped on a high, open space of
ground, clear of brush and underwood except a fallen tree extending to within eighty yards of the fire
where the Aborigines were cooking their meal. It was decided that they go around to and along the
tree the branches of which, covered with leaves, were nearest the enemy. Wells and Miller were to
shoot each the man in front of him, leaving the central one to be caught alive by M'Clellan. Inmiedi-
ately after the discharge of tlie guns M'Clellan sprang after his man who, as quickly, started to run.
Observing that his pursuer was gaining on him in the course he had taken, he turned to the bank of the
Auglaise. here about twenty feet high, and jumped over miring in the soft mud at the bottom. Without
hesitation M'Clellan jumped after, also miring. Here the ready knife of the pursued was opposed by
the uplifted tomahawk of the athletic pursuer at whose command the knife was surrendered. Soon
Captain Wells and Miller came to the edge of the bank and. seeing their friend and enemy safe, took
time to descend the bank at a less precipitous place. They dragged the captive out of the mud and tied
him. He was very sulky, refusing to speak either language. One went for the horses while others
washed the mud and paint from the prisoner, who was a white man. Still he refused to give any
account of himself. The two dead Aborigines were scalped, and the scouts started for headquarters
with their prisoner. On tlie way Henry Miller began to gather the idea that the prisoner was his
brother Christopher whom he was obliged to leave captive with the Aborigines several years before.
With this impression he rode alongside him and called him by the name given by his Aborigine captors.
He startled, stared around, and eagerly inquired how he came to know his name. The mysteries were
soon explained — their prisoner was indeed Christopher Miller. He was at first very reticent when
questioned by General Wayne. After being confined for some time as a prisoner, with the army, he
gave all the information he could regarding the Aborigines, agreed to forsake his savage habits, joined
Captain Wells' scouts and, in company with his brother, remained faithful to the Americans. Early in
July he accompanied the scouts to the Auglaise River where they captured a Pottawotami chief after
he had discharged his gun at them and started to escape by running.

On another adventure, they captured a canoe load of Aborigines on the River St. Mary, who were
recognized by Wells as the family with whom he had lived during his captivity. They were kindly
treated, and were liberated with the injunction to keep away from the route of the army.

After General Wayne's arrival at the point where he built Fort Defiance, he started Wells and
his spies down the Maumee River to ascertain the position and condition of the enemy. They started
in the dress and paint of the Aborigines and, when near the British Fort Miami, entered an .■\borieine
village and talked with its people without being suspicioned. Beyond this village they captured a man
and woman (mentioned above in one of M'Kee's letters) without their resisting, and started on their
return to the army. A little after dark they came near a large encampment of Aborigines who were
merrily passing the evening. They detoured this camp and. about half a mile above it along the river
they halted, tied and gagged their captives, and riding boldly among the savages plied tliem with
questions regarding General Wayne's army and where they were to gather to resist its advance. The
savages gathered around them and were very communicative until one, somewhat removed, expressed
the belief that the strangers were not their friends. Wells understood the remark and, giving the
signal, each rifle in his company was fired at short range, each killing a savage. They turned, put spurs
to their horses on which they had remained seated, picked up their prisoners, and hoped to escape
injury by lying close to their horses. They were pursued, fired upon, and two were wounded — Wells
through the bone of the arm carrying his rifle which dropped to the ground, and a bullet passed under
M'Clellan's shoulder blade, coming out at the top of the shoulder. They were about thirty miles from
the mouth of the Auglaise where the army was building Fort Defiance, and one of the parly rode for-

188

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

The testimony of savages of different trilies \'ct lurttier confirm ttie
influence of ttie Britisfi in promoting tfie war, even after most of tfie
tribes desired peace witli tlie Americans. '

Major Generaf Cfiarfes Scott witli aliout sixteen fiundred volunteer

cavalymen from Ken-
tucky wlio liad tieen
sent tiome for ttie
winter, rejoined the
armv, then number-
ing possibly two
thousand soldiers, at
Greenville, Ohio,
llfith July, 1794: and
the next da\' General
Wayne ordered the
general a d va n c e
movement for the
•iSth.

This was to be a
most momentous
campaign. If this,
the third army be
defeated, the country
west and southwest
of the Allegheny
Mountains would,
evidently, thence-
forth be completely
dominated by the
British, and completely lost to the Americans. On account of its
supreme importance, the ability and signal success with which it was
conducted by General Wayne, and the original records being the only

MAJOR GENERAL ANTHONY WAYNE.

Born in Easttown, Chester County, Pennsylvania, Isl Jaiuiary, 1745,
Died at Erie, Pa., l.'ith December, 17%.

ward at full speed for help. Upon his arrival at camp 'General Wayne at once dispatched a surgeon
and a company of his swiftest dragoons, who brought the wounded, and the prisoners safely to camp.'

In regard to plainling, bravery, and daring, American scouts far excelled the savages. William
Wells remained a valuable scout and interpreter. He married a sister of the noted Miami chief Little
Turtle, and exerted a great influence over that chief and his tribe favorable to the Americans. A large
tract of land at Fort Wayne was given to him (see Map, page 97) and there he afterward lived, and there
Little Turtle died 14 July, 1812. Spy Run in this reservation was named from Wells. He was killed by
western savages at the evacuation of Fort Dearborn, Chicago, 15th August, 1812.

* At this time every exertion was being made Iby the British] to aid the Aborigines: and on August
18, 17&4, Governor Simcoe wrote to Lord Dorchester that he would ' go to Detroit with all the force he
could muster.' He was too late, however, for on August 20th General Wayne defeated the combined
forces near their own fort — History of Detroit, by Silas Farmer, volume i. See also testimony of Pot-
tawotamis, Shawnees and others before General Wayne in June, 1794. American State Papers, Aborigine
Aifairs volume i, pages 489, 490.

MARCH OF WAYNE'S ARMY TO ST. MARY RIVER. 189

authentic account of it and they being long out of print, the writer
decides to reproduce them in full, beginning with the

Diary of General Wayne's Campaign, by Lieutenant Boyer*

Fort Greenville, where we were employed in erecting huts, and remained until the
28th July, 1794.

Camp at Stillwater. t 28th July. 171)4. Agreeable to the general order of yesterday,
the legion took up their line of march at eight o'clock, and encamped at half past three
on the bank of Stillwater, twelve miles from Greenville. The w'eather extremely warm
— water very bad. Nothing occurred worth noticing.

Camp one mile in advance of Fort Recovery 'iilth July, 17'.)4. At five o'clock left
the camp — arrived on this ground at one o'clock, being fifteen miles. Nothing took
place worth reciting. '

I am now informed that tracks were percei\'ed on our right flank, supposed to be
runners from the Oglaize.J

Camp Bea\er Swamp, eleven miles in advance of Fort Recovery, IHHh July, 1794.
This morning the legion took up the line of march, and arrived here at three o'clock.
The road was to cut, as will be the case on every new route we take in this country.

The weather still warm no water except in ponds, which nothing but excessi\-e
thirst would induce us to drink. The mosfpiitoes are verv troublesome, and larger than

Site of the Fort Adams bviilt b.v General Wayne. In the N, E. '•* of Section 24. Dublin Township.
Mercer County. Ohio. Lookint: northward across the River St. Mary, m the rain 29lh .\pril. iyti:i.

* The American Pioneer volume i, pages 315, 35! et sequentia.

I Stillwater Creek, a tributary of the Miami River.

4 Spies from the Auglaise River down which the army was to pass.

]90

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

I ever saw. The most of this country is covered with beech, the land of a wet soil inter-
mixed with rich tracts, but no running water to be found. A bridge to be built over this
swamp to morrow, which prevents the march of the legion till the day after. We are
informed there is no water for twelve miles.

July 'list, 1(!U. Commenced building the bridge, being seventy yards in length,
which will require infinite labor ; it will be five feet deep, with loose mud and water.

One hundred pioneers set out this morning, strongly escorted, to cut a road to the
St, Mary River, twelve miles. I expect the bridge will be completed so as to march
early in the morning.

Camp St. Mary River, 1st August, 17iJ4. Proceeded on our way before sunrise,
and arrived at this jjlace at three o'clock, being twelve miles as aforesaid. Our encamp-
ment is on the largest and most beautiful prairie I ever beheld, the land rich and well
timliered ; the water plenty but very bad — the river is from forty-five to fifty yards
wide, in which I bathed. I am told there is plenty of fish in it.

.August "ind, 1794. The legion detained here for the purpose of erecting a garrison
[fort]* which will take up three days. This day one of the deputy quartermasters was
taken up by the Aborigines, t Our spies discovered where four of the enemy had re-
treated precipitately with a horse, and supposed to be the party the above person had
been taken by. ft is hoped he will not give accurate information of our strength.

August .'ird, r7i)4. An accident took place this day by a tree falling on the Com-
mander-in-Chief [General Wayne] and nearly putting an end to his existence ; we
expected to be detained here some time in consequence of it, but fortunately he is not
so much hurt as to prevent him from riding at a slow pace. No appearance of the
enemy to-day, and think they are preparing for a warm attack. The weather very hot
and dry, without any appearance of rain.

Camp Thirty-one miles in advance
of Fort Recovery, 4th August, 1794.
The aforesaid garrison [fort] being com-
pleted, Lieutenant Underbill with one
hundred men left to protect it ; depart-
ed at six o'clock and arrived here at
three o'clock, being ten miles. The
land we marched through is rich and
well timbered, but the water scarce and
bad ; obliged to dig holes in boggy pla-
ces and let it .settle.

Camp Forty-four miles in advance
of Fort Recovery, 0th August, 1794. J
We arrived at this place at four o'clock,
nothing particular occurring. The land
and water as above described — had
some rain to-day.
Camp Fifty-six miles from Fort Recovery, Hth August, 1794. Encamped on this
ground at two o'clock. In the course of our march perceived the track of twenty Abori-
gines. I am informed we are within six miles of one of their towns on the Oglaize river

Ground plan of Fort Adams established by General
Wa.vne 3rd AuRust, 1794. Abandoned by its carrison
of .^ United States Troops in the early summer of
1796- From the American Pioneer.

' Fort Adams, located on the south (left) bank of the St. Mary River, three and three-fourths miles
np stream (eastward! from the present Rockford, Mercer County, Ohio, formerly known as Shane's
Crossinc for many years,

I This man deserted. See General Wayne's letter on subsequent pace

Z Near the present villafie of Fort Jennincs, Putnam County, Ohio.

«r

ARRIVAL OF WAYNE'S ARMY AT THE MAUMEE. 191

supposed to be the upper Delaware town.* If so. I expect to eat green .corn to-morrow.
Our march this day has been through an e.\ceeding fine country, but the water still bad ;
the day cooler than heretofore.

Camp sixty-eight miles from Fort Recovery,! 7th .-August, 1704. This day passed
the upper town on the Oglaize [Auglaise River] which the Aborigines evacuated
some time ago. I expect to see one of their new towns, where I am told there are all
sorts of vegetables, which will be very acceptable to the troops. We have had no
appearance of Aborigines today.

LONinTVDt \^ FROM WASHINGTON
lA'

l"^/^

wnU^>

Muh

^^*'1^'^;;^""i

Defiance iCovyNTr

Noble Tow\N5hipi

^.e!

HLAfND

^^^i

5cjo

1 ftOiflp ^J

How

■'??<

^^/

erir

N5HIP

CamK
D-.-Vg is t —

0*0 w

^^f^.^'

>:v

WDfflANCL

SREENVILUf '

-J_

Township

TREATY

_c.

iUNE

Township L
'Itefidnce City Limits

z A Five prehistoric Bvial Mounds

5 B Thrci Later Aboriqimdl Burial Places

S cTTviz Aboriijinal Com yields

5 D Five Appk Orchards pidt?ted bu The Early French

\ ETwo 5V7dwr7ee VilldOes in ]79Z

u) F Nirje Earlier and Later flboriijmalVilldOeOTJGirtjpinij Sif^s

a OAborirtmdl Council Oak ,CvT Pown About I8fe5

GGeneral Wdyr7e'5f6r"t Befidrpce I79A Au^ustSth
Nol NoZ.NoJ, H J Gen WincWesterstive Cdmpmij) 5ite5 18IZ

K General Winchesters Abdtis 181 Z

L fort WinchesTir. leiZ

Ga-Enca'r)pinenT&ei7WaYr7e'5 Arwy Aucj 2? te5eptl3. 1754

M "Buridl Ground of Soldiers

N frcstorz Islarjd

P Bloddett Island [blown down in 1887

^ Hie Larjcsf and most T^inous Appl« Tree onT^ecorJ Was

LONGITUDE W FROM GREEN\A/iCH

84* 24'

MAP SHOWING THE SITES OF THE PREHISTORIC AND EARLY HISTORIC PLACES
of most interest at Defiance, Ohio. A Field Assistant in the I'nited States Coast and Geodetic
Survey contirmed the Author's computation of Latitude and Longitude as here recorded. He also set
a stone about forty rods northeast of the main building of Dehance College near the north limit of the
City, and there computed the earth's magnetism July 21. 1903. as follows: Intensity. .1869 dynes;
Dip. 72° 3'='; Declination. 20' west.

Camp Grand Oglaize, + 8th August, Kill. Proceeded on our march to this place at
five o'clock this morning, and arrived here at the confluence of the Miami [Maumee]
and Oglaize [Auglaise] rivers at half past ten, being seventy-seven miles from Fort

* Site of the present village of Charloe, Paulding County, Ohio.

t Near mouth of Crooked (Flat Rock) Creek. Paulding County. Ohio.

t Junction of the Auglaise River with the Maumee. site of the present City of Defiance. Ohit

192 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

Recovery. This place far excels in beauty any in the western country, and believed
equalled by none in the Atlantic States. Here are vegetables of every kind in abun-
dance, and we have marched four or five miles in corn fields down the Oglaize
[Auglaise] and there are not less than one thousand acres of corn [Zea. mays] round
the town.* The land in general of the fir nature.!

This country appears well adapted for the enjoyment of industrious people, who
cannot avoid living in as great luxury as in any other place throughout the states. Nature
having lent a most bountiful hand in the arrangement of the position, that a man can
send the produce to market in his own boat. The land level and river navigable, not
more than sixty miles from the lake [Erie].

The British have built a large garrison [fort] about fifty miles from this place, and
our spies inform us that the enemy are encamped about two miles above it by the river.

Grand Oglaize. !)th August, 1794. We remain here. The Commander-in-Chief
has ordered a garrison [Fort Defiance] to be erected at the confluence of the Miami
[Maumee] and Oglaize [Auglaise] rivers, which was begun this morning, and will take
up some time; by this means the troops will be much refreshed, as well as the horses
and cattle, the latter being much wearied and in need of a recess of labor. No appear-
ance of an enemy.

Grand Oglaize [Defiance] 10th August, 171(4. The troops in good spirits. No
interruption from, or account of, the enemy. We have plenty of vegetables. One of
our militia officers was wounded by his own sentinel by mistake.

Grand Oglaize, 11th August, 1794. Nothing occurs to prevent the completion of our
work. J

Whatever diary was written by Lieutenant Boyer for the dates of
l'2th to 15th August inclusive, styled 'a few leaves' by John S. Wil-
liams editor of The American Pioneer, was lost previous to September,
1^42. The preserved dates continue as follows:

[August 1.1, 1794.] Took up the line of march [from Fort Defiance] and

* The British should be largely credited for tliis agricultural thrift on account of their encourape-
nient of it; but the Aborigine women did the work of planting and cultivating.

t This expression was due to the Red Cedar trees [Junlperous Virginiana. L.) seen along the
rivers. Fir trees proper have not been found indigenous alone the Maumee and Auglaise Rivers.

?The 11th August, 1794, William Wells, one of General Wayne's scouts, took a Shawnee prisoner
near the foot of the lowest Maumee Rapids and, upon examination by General Wayne at the mouth of
the Auglaise River he testified as follows :

(Juestion— When did the Aborigines receive information of the advance of the army ? Answer —
The first information was from a white man who came in of his own accord about ten days since.
Q. — Where are the Aborigines at this time ? A.^At Colonel McKee's. Q.— Where are the British and
what are their numbers ? A — In a fort about one mile below Colonel McKee's, on the north side of the
river, situate on a hill or bank close by the margin where are about 300 men. They are now at work at
the fort. Q. — What number of guns have they in the fort ? A. — Four or five. C'-~^What number of
warriors are at McKee's and what nations do they belong to ? A.^-There are six hundred, who aban-
doned this place lat the niouth of the Auglaise Riverl on the approach of the army ; Shawnese about 200.
but no more; Delawares, about 300; Miamis. about 100; and warriors of other tribes, about 100. Q. —
What number are expected to assemble, in addition to those now at the foot of the Rapids ? A.— In all
about 400 men; Wyandots. 300, and Tawas [Ottawas] about 240. A. — What number of white men are to
join, and when ? A. — Mr. or Captain Elliott set out for Detroit six days since and was to be back yester-
day with all the militia, and an additional number of regular troops, which with those already there
would amount to 1000 men. This is the general conversation among the Aborigines, and Captain Elliott
promised to bring that number. Colonel McKee's son went with Elliott, as also the man who deserted
from this army on its march. <J. — When and where do the Aborigines mean to fight this army ? A.^At
tlie foot of the rapids. The white man who came in. told the Aborigines and Colonel McKee that the
-army was destined for that place.

MARCH OF WAYNES ARMY DOWN THE MAUMEE. 195

at one arrived on this ground without any occurrence. Our camp is situated in sight of
Snaketown* by the Miami of the Lake [Maumee River]. Vegetables in abundance.

Camp Nineteen miles from Oglaize, Kith August, li!U.i' Our march this day was
through a bushy ground, and the road generally bad. Miller (the flag)t returned
this day from the enemy with information from the tribes, that if the Commander-in-
chief would remain at Grand Oglaize ten days they would let him know whether they
would be for peace or war.

Camp Thirty-one miles from Camp Oglaize|| 17th August. 1794. This day a small
party of the enemy s spies fell in with ours ; both parties being for discoveries, they
retreated, at which time the enemy fired and wounded one of our horses. Our
camp, head of the Rapids.

Camp Forty-one miles from Grand Ogteize [at Roche de Bout] 18th August, 1794.
The legion arrived on this ground, nothing particular taking place. Five of our
spies were sent out at three o'clock — they fell in with an advanced body of the enemy,
and obliged to retreat ; but May, one of our spies, fell under the enemy's hold. What
his fate may be must be left to future success.^

Camp Deposit^ 19th August, 1794. The legion still continued in encampment, and
are throwing up works to secure and deposit the heavy baggage of the troops, so that
the men may be light for action, provided the enemy have presumption to favor us
with an interview, which if they should think proper to do, the troops are in such high
spirits that we will make an easy victory of them.

By this morning's order, the legion is to march at five o'clock.

Camp in sight of a British garrison on the Miamis of the Lake,** August 20, 1794.
One hundred and fifty miles from Greenville. This day the legion, after depositing
every kind of baggage, took up the line of march at 7 o'clock and continued their route
down the margin of the river without making any discovery until eleven o'clock,
when the front guard, which was composed of mounted volunteers, were fired on by
the enemy. The guard retreated in the utmost confusion through the front guard of
the regulars, commanded by Captain Cook and Lieutenant Steele, who, in spite of
their utmost exertion, made a retreat. These fell in with the left of Captain Howell
Lewis' company of light infantry and threw that part of the men into confusion,
which Captain Lewis observing, he ordered the left of his company to retreat about

* On the site of the present Florida, Henry County, Ohio.

t About the site of the present Napoleon, Henry County, Ohio.

t Christopher Miller, see ante page 187, sent with a (white) flag of truce to offer peace to the
Aborigines. Compare General Wayne's report on subsequent pace.

11 At the head of the Grand Rapids of the Maumee River.

^ The story of William May's capture and of his fate, is thus told by John Brickell who saw May at
the time when he (BrickelU was then a young captive, viz : Two or three days after we arrived at the
[lower Maumee! Rapids, Wayne's spies canie right into camp among us. I afterwards saw the survivors.
Their names were Wells. Miller, McClelland, May, Mahatty. and one other whose name I forgot. They
came into camp boldly and fired on the Aborigines. Miller was wounded in the shoulder. May was
chased by the Aborigines to the smooth rock in the bed of the river, where his horse fell, and he was
taken prisoner. The others escaped. They took May to camp where they recognized him as having
been a captive among them, and having escaped [see ante page 1781. They said: We know you; you
speak Aborigine language; you not content to live with us; to-morrow we take you to that tree [pointing
to a very large oak at the edge of the clearing which was near the British fortl we will tie you fast, and
make a mark on your breast, and we will see which one of us can shoot nearest it. It so turned out.
The next day. the day before the battle [of Fallen Timber! they riddled his body with bullets, shooting
at least hfty into him— The American Pioneer vol. i, page ,r2.

^ At Roche de Bout. See engraving, and Chapter on the Maumee River.

* ' Fort Miami on the left ( north ) bank of the Maumee River near the lower side of the corporate
limits of the present Village of Maumee, Lucas County, Ohio, See Map of lower Maumee River,

194

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

forty yards, where he formed them and joined the right which had stood their
ground. They continued in this position until they were joined by part of Captain
Springer's battalion of riflemen, which was nearly fifteen minutes after the firing
commenced, who drove the enemy that had attempted to flank us on the right
[probably at the site of Turkeyfoot Rock]. Nearly at the same time, the right
column came up, and the charge was sounded -the enemy gave way and fired scattering
shots as they run ofl.

About the time the right column came up, a heavy firing took place on the
left, which lasted but a short time, the enemy giving way in all quarters, which left us
in possession of their dead to the number of forty. Our loss was thirty killed and one
hundred wounded. .\mong the former we have to lament the loss of Captain Miss
Campbell of the dragoons, and Lieutenant Henry B. Fowles of the 4th sub-legion;
and of the latter. Captains Prior of the first, Slough of the fourth, and Van
Rensselaer of the dragoons, also Lieutenant Campbell Smith of the fourth sub-
legion. The whole lo.ss of the enemy cannot at present be ascertained, but it is more
than probable it must have been considerable, for we pursued them with rapidity
for nearly two miles.

:\i.\imi;k kivkk .\.\ij mi.\.mi a'sd krie c.an.al.

Lookiiii^ iiuitlieast down the livei" .April i."i, I'.hM. Roche de Bout (point of ronk) is seen in the livef
one-half mile distant. Above the ledjie of rock on the left shore General Wa.vne bnilt his Fort Deposit
within his encampment, before the Battle of Fallen Timber, the place of whicli is about three miles
down llie river. In the left distance is a larye crusher of stone for road macadamizing: and to the
right of it are several derricks of a newly developed petroleum field in the ancient deserted channel of
the Maumee, In Lucas County, Ohio.

As to the number of the enemy engaged in this action, opinions are so various
that 1 am at a loss to know what to say ; the most general opinion is one thousand
fi\'e hundred, one-third of which are supposed to be Canadif.ng;-i I am led to believe
this number is not over the mark. .\fter the troops had taken some refreshment,
the legion continued their route down the river, and encamped in sight of the British
garrison. One Canadian [Antoine Lasselle] fell into our hands, whom we loaded
with irons.

Camp Foot of the Rapids 21st August, \T.H. We are now lying within half a
mile of a British garrison [Fort Miami]. A flag came to the Commander-in-chief,
the purport of which was that he, the commanding officer of the British fort, was
surprised to see an American army so far advanced in this country ; and why they
had the assurance to encamp under the mouths of his Majesty's cannons! The
Commander-in-chief answered, that the aflair of yesterday might well inform him

RETURN OF ARMY FROM BATTLE OF FALLEN TIMBER. 195

why this army was encamped in its present position, and had the fleeing savages
taken shelter under the walls of the fort, his Majesty's cannons should not have pro-
tected them.

Camp Foot of the Rapids 22d August, 1794. We have destroyed all the
property within one hundred yards of the British garrison. The volunteers were
sent down eight miles below the fort, and have destroyed and burnt all the pos-
sessions belonging to the Canadians and savages. The Commander-in-chief led
his light infantry within pistol shot of the garrison to find out the strength
and situation of the place, and in hopes of bringing a shot from our inveterate but silent
enemies. They were too cowardly to come up to our expectations, and all we got by in-
sulting the colors of Britain was a flag, the amount of which was, that the commanding
officer of the fort felt himself as a soldier much injured by seeing His Majesty's colors
insulted, and if such conduct was continued he would be under the necessity of making a
proper resentment ; upon which the Commander-in-chief demanded the post, it being the
right of the United States, which was refused. A small party of dragoons were sent over
the ri\'er to burn and destrov all the houses, corn t*cc.. that were under cover of the fort,
which was effected.

BATTLE FIELD Ol- F.^LLEN TLMBEU.
Ancient River Channel in lore and middle ijround Presrjue Isle, where the battle began,
obscures the Mauniee River on the Riyht. Lookini; Eastward April 1.5, 19(12.

Camp Deposit 2;!d August, K'.U. Having burned and destroyed everything con-
tiguous to the fort [British Fort Miami] without any opposition, the legion took up
the line of march, and in the evening encamped on this ground, being the same they
marched from the 20th. It may be proper to remark that we have heard nothing from
the savages, or their allies the Canadians, since the action. The honors of war have been
paid to the remains of those brave fellows who fell on the 20th, by a discharge of three
rounds from sixteen pieces of ordnance, charged with shells. The ceremony was per-
formed with the greatest solemnity.

Camp Ihirty-two Mile Tree" 24th August, 17!t4. The wounded being well pro-
vided for with carriages, &c.. the legion took up the line of march, and halted in their
old camp about two o'clock in the evening without any accident. In this day's march we
destroyed all the corn and burnt all the houses we met with, which were very considerable.

Camp Fifteen Mile Treef 2.")th August, 1794. The legion continued their march,
and encamped on this ground at three o'clock P. M. This morning a few of the volun-

* Council Ehn at the Grand Rapids of the Mamnee. about thirty-two miles below Defiance. Ohio.
1 At or a little above the present Village of Napoleon. Henry County. Ohio.

196

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

teers remained in the rear of the army, and soon after the legion took up their line of
march they saw eight Aborigines coming into our camp; they fell in with them, killed
one and wounded two.

BATTLE FIELD OF FALLEN TIMBER.

Looking! south November 13, 1903. up the Mauinee River seen on the left. Presque Isle in cen-
tral distance. Ancient deserted Channel of the Mauniee on the ri^rht. Maumee Valley Electric Railway,
built in 1901, on the left.

General Wayne beean the Battle on Presiju' ile, and the Aborigines were rapidly driven to the
lower lands, and down the river. On the right side of the public road at the foot of Presqu' ile is situated
Turkeyfoot Rock, a fair size Corniferous Limestone boulder, by which, tradition says. Chief Turkey-
foot was killed while trying to rally the retreating Aborigines, see ante page 194.

This place was surveyed, in common with the other historic places along the Mauniee River, in
188S by O. M. Poe, Colonel of Engineers and Brevet Brigadier General United States Army, who reported
favorably to the purchase hereof twelve and one-third acres of land, mostly on Presqu" ile and west of it,
and the erection of a monument, all at a cost of about $17,000. But Congress has not made any appropri-
ation for this purpose.

The surveys of these historic places were the result of the work of The Maumee Valley Monument
Association, which was incorporated 28 July. 1885 ; and which was succeeded in 1899 by the Maumee
Valley Pioneer and Historical Association. In the summer of 1903 this Association acquired title to a
small portion of land around Turkeyfoot Rock which is now established on a permanent foundation. It
is the desire of this Association to acquire title to this Battle Field, and to care for it.

Camp Nine Mile Tree* 2(>th August. 171)4. The legion continued their march, and
after burning and destroying all the houses and corn on their route, arrived on this
ground at two o'clock, being one of our encamping places when on our advance.

*.lust above the present Florida. Henry County. Ohio, nine miles below Detiance.

GENERAL WAYNES ARMY AGAIN AT FORT DEFIANCE. 197

CENKR.U, WiY.NE'S I-IAII.V ENCAMI'MENT,

22^

5
_,t^/P\ /try

IS ;

ttttt

All the wounded that were carried on litters and horseback were sent forward to

Fort Defiance. Doctor Carmichael
through neglect had the wounded men
of the artillery and cavalry thrown into
wagons, among spades, axes, picks, dfec,
in consequence of which the wounded
are now lying in extreme pain, besides
the frequent shocks of a wagon on the
worst of roads. The wounded of the
third sub-legion are under obligations
to Doctor Haywood for his attention
and humanity to them in their distress.

Camp Fort Defiance 2~th August,
ITIM. The legion continued their route,
and at three o'clock were encamped on
the Miami [Maumee River, right bank,
a little below the mouth of the Tiffin]
one mile above the garrison [Fort De-
fiance], On this day's march we de-
stroyed all the corn and burnt all the
houses on our route. The wounded
are happily fixed in the garrison, and
the doctors say there is no great danger
of any of them dying.

Fort Defiance 2Sth August, 17S(4.
The Commander - in - Chief thinks pro-
per to continue on this ground for
some time, to refresh the troops and
send for supplies. There is corn,
beans, pumpkins, &c., within four
miles of this place to furnish the troops
three weeks.

r.EFEBENCE.

1, LioOfattiU MmioV ba«inn,

H, Hi'arc3'i^'''y>

2. LicUtcoiuii Fopri" biurtion

12. Kfoi,-. CiK-vai-.

3. 1'lpiain PorUT* ba.umi.

13,ii;-l H. Thinl fliilhl^^o!

4. Comiin Fcnl'i baiuon.

l.". ...,.( 11.. flM'. *ul-l.:hloH

6. H^»a-qiurt«^
e. I'.rti of drmirry.

17»,„1 l« S.-,-„r,J lut^kCi

10 iu.\-JK K..1K1I. bul-lffpo

7. Srcuixl ir<>op ol JnuooEU.

'^1, ■.:-, i3, i:j, :5, ■iH. ::

9. FiM L'jop of Jr*?i>oii*.

ID. iWl Uoop of dniipon*.

30. Rcar^njri

Geneiai Wayne kept his army secure from be-
ing surprised by the stealthy enemy. This ^ave
rise to the statement by the savages that he never
slept. The rapidity and security of his army's
movement through the enemy's wilderness strong-
hold, caused the savages to call him the wind ; and
after his impetuous, and to them disastrous, charge
at the Battle of Fallen Timber, the survivors called
him The 'Whirlwind' probably in comparison
to the wind that had prostrated the forest at the
Battle Field. The engraving is taken from The
American Pioneer, ii. 39("i.

General Orders.
The Quartermaster General will issue one
gill of whisky to every man belonging to the
Federal army (this morning) as a small com-
pensation for the fatigues they have under-
gone for several days past. Major General
Scott will direct his quartermasters to attend
accordingly with their respective returns.
The Commander-in-Chief wishes it to be fairly
understood that when he mentioned or may
mention the Federal army in General Orders,
that term comprehends and includes the legion

and mounted volunteers as one compound
army, and that the term legion comprehends the regular troops, agreeable to the organization by the
President of the United States, and by which appellation they are known and recognized on all occasions
when acting by themselves, and separate from the mounted volunteers. As the army will probably
remain on this ground for some time, vaults must be dug, and every precaution taken to keep the
encampment clean and healthy.

The legion will be reviewed the day after to-morrow at ten o'clock. In the interim the arms must
be clean and varnished, and the clothing of the soldiers repaired and washed, to appear in the most
military condition possible ; but in these necessary preparations for a review great caution must be used
by the commanding officers of wings, not to permit too many men at one time to take their locks off. or
to be engaged in washing.

All the horses belonging to the quarter master and contractors' department, in possession of the
legion, must be returned this afternoon.

798

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

This is the first fair day we have had since we began to return to this place, it
having rained nearly constant for five days, which was the occasion of fatiguing the
troops very much.

Fort Defiance 39th August, 1704, We are as yet encamped on this ground; all
the pack-horses belonging to the quarter-master and contractors' department moved
this morning for Fort Recovery, escorted by Bigadier General Todd's brigade of

Looking northwest November 18, I90:i, across Maumee River to site of the tiritish Fort Miami,
built in ,-\pril, 1794, and surrendered to American troops July II, 1796. The road up the distant river bank
passes throuyli the yet existing earthworks.

The United States surveyor of the historic places along the Maumee River in I88JS, recommended
to Congress that 5 6H-100 acres of land including the site of this Fort be purchased and a monument erect-
ed, all at a probable cost of $7,.VHi. Congress has not made any appropriation foi tliis purpose.

mounted volunteers, for the purpose of bringing supplies to this place. It is said the
legion will continue in their present camp until the return of this escort. Our spies
were yesterday twelve miles up this river [the Maumee] and they bring information
that the cornfields continue as far as they were up the river.

Fort Defiance TtOth August. r7!)4. This day at ten o'clock, the Commander-in-
Chief began to review the troops at the posts occupied by the different corps, and I am
led to believe that he was well pleased at their appearance. Major Hughes, Captain
Slough. Captain Van Rensselaer and Lieutenant Younghusband obtained a furlough
to go home to repair their healths, being, as they pretended, very much injured by the
service. I believe the two first and the last mentioned, if they never return will not
be lamented by the majoritv of the army.

The out-guards were much alarmed this morning at the mounted volunteers firing
oft all their arms without our having any notice.

General Oroers. Headuvarters 31st August. 1794.

A general court-martial to consist of live members, will sit to-morrow morning at ten o'clock, for
the trial of such pi isoners as may be brought before them. Major Shaylor. President, Lieutenant Wade,
Judge .advocate.

The disorderly and dangerous practice of permitting the soldiery to pass the chain of sentinels, on
pretext of going after vegetables, can no longer be suffered. In future, on issuing day. only one man

DISCIPLINE. STRENGTHENING OF FORT DEFIANCE. 199

from each mess, properly armed, and commanded by the respective sub-legionary 'Quarter masters, will
be sent as a detachment for vegetables, to march at 7 o'clock in the morning.

The pack-horses shall forage daily under protection of a squadron of dragoons; every precaution
must be taken to guard against surprise. Any non-commissioned officer or soldier found half a mile
without the chain of sentinels, without a pass signed by the commanding officer of wings or sub-legion,
or from Headquarters, shall be deemed a deserter, and punished accordingly. Every sentinel suttering
a non-commissioned officer or private to pass without such written permit, except a party on command,
shall receive fifty lashes for each and every violation of this order.

A fatigue party of three hundred non-commissioned officers and privates, with a proportion of
commissioned officers, will parade at 7 o'clock to-morrow morning, furnished with one hundred axes, one
hundred picks, and one hundred spades and shovels, with arms, commanded by Major Burbeck.

A part of this order was in consequence of three men of the first sub-legion being
either killed or taken bv the enemy when out a foraging, which was done some time
since in a very disorderly manner, at the same time liable to the attacks of the enemy
without having it in their power to make the smallest resistance.

Fort Defiance 1st September. 1 7!U. This morning the fatigue party ordered yes-
terday began to fortify and strengthen the fort and make it of sufficient strength to
be proof against heavy metal. The work now on hand is a glacis with fascines, and a

ditch twelve feet wide and eight feet

deep. The blockhouses are to be
made bomb-proof.

Fort Defiance, 2nd September,
17i)4. Every effective man of the
light troops in the redoubts round
the camp was ordered this morning
to make three fascines.

The foraging party that went out
this day brought in as much corn,
dry enough to grate, as will suffice
the troops three days. The soldiery
get sick very fast with the fever and
ague, and have it severely.

Fort Defiance ord September,
1794. Nothing but hard fatigues
going forward in all quarters. The
garrison [the Fort] begins to put on
the appearance of strength, and will
in a few days be able to stand the
shock of heavy cannon. The troops
are very sickly, and I believe the
longer we continue in this place the
worse it will be.

Fort Defiance 4th September, 17114.
The number of our sick increases
daily ; provision is nearly exhausted ;
the whisky has been out for some

GROUND PLAN OF FORT DEFIANCE.
Distance between opposite Palisades. ItXf feet ;
length of Palisades between Blockhouses, seventy-five
feet. The entrance was on the southwest side by means of
a Drawbridge that was raised and lowered over the Ditch
by chains working over the top of the Palisade timbers, be-
tween which there was a Gate. The Rivers were approached
for water at their junction under protection of triangular
Palisade and l^nderground way. The Ditches, sites of

Blockhouses and Palisades, yet remain (19t>4) in fair out

line. From Researches and Surveys by Charles E. Slo- time, which makes the hours pass

cum. Compare American Pioneer, volume ii, pages 3K6- heavily to the tune of Roslin Castle.

87, and copies therefrom. , . ^ -^ .■ ^u

' when in our present situation they

ought to go to the quick step of the merry man down to his grave. Hard duty and scant

allowance will cause an army to be low spirited, particularly the want of a little of the wet.

If it was not for the forage we get from the enemy's fields, the rations would not

be sufficient to keep soul and body together.

200

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

* Fort Dehance was the sironyest fortitication built by General Wayne— where he could defy the
hostile Aborigines and the British — and he styled it 'an Important and Formidable Fort.' His careful
study of the strong British Fort Miami induced the strenetheninK of Fort Defiance after the return of
the army from the Battle of Fallen Timber, it beiny thought possible, if not probable, that the Aborigines

LIEUTENANT BOYER'S DIARY CONTINUED. 20]

Fort Defiance .'nh September, 17i*4. No news of the escort ; this day the troops
drew no flour, and I fear we will shortly draw no beef; however, as long as the issuing of
beef continues the troops will not suffer, as there is still corn in abundance along the
river.

Fort Defiance fUh September. 1704. The work on the [Fort] garrison, goes on with
life and will be completed in a few days. The weather very wet and cold ; this morning
there is a small frost.

Fort Defiance 7th September, r7!*4. Nothing of consequence took place this day.
Our sick are getting better.

Fort Defiance 8th September, 17i(4. This day brings us information of the escort ;
by express we learn it will be with us to-morrow. It will be fortunate for us should
provisions arrive, as we have not drawn any flour since the 7th instant ; nevertheless
we have the greatest abundance of vegetables.

Fort Defiance 9th September, 1704. The escort has not yet arrived, but will be
in to-morrow. General Scott with the residue is ordered to march to-morrow morning
at reveille. The Commander-in-Chief engaged with the volunteers [General Scott's com-
mand] to bring on the flour from Greenville on their own horses, for which they are to
receive three dollars per hundred, delivered at the Miami villages, [the present Fort
Wayne. Indiana].

Fort Defiance 10th September. 171)4. The escort arrived this day about ^^ o'clock,
and brought with them two hundred kegs of flour and nearly two hundred head of
cattle. Captain Preston and Ensigns Strother, Bowyer and Lewis, joined us this
day with the escort. We received no liquor by this command, and I fancy we shall
not receive any until we get into winter quarters, which will make the fatigues of the
campaign appear double, as I am persuaded the troops would much rather live on
half rations of beef and bread, provided they could obtain their full rations of whiskey.
The vegetables are as yet in the greatest abundance. The soldiers of Captain William
Lewis' company are in perfect health, the wounded excepted.

Fort Defiance 11th September, 171*4. This day General Barber's brigade of
mounted volunteers marched for Fort Keco\ery for provisions, to meet us at the Miami
villages [the present Fort Wayne] by the '*Oth.

might raHy and. aided a^ain by the British, endeavor to destroy ii. It was principally built between
the 8th AuEUst and the Nth September. 1794.

Outside the Palisades and Blockhouses there was a glacis or wall of earth eii;ht feet thick, whicli
sloped outwards and upwards, and was supported on its outer side by a log wall and fascines. A ditch
encircled the entire works excepting the east side of the east Blockhouse which was near the precipi-
tous bank of the Auglaise River along which was a line of fagots. The Ditch was fifteen feet wide and
eight feet deep. It was protected by pickets eleven feet long and nearly a foot apart, secured to the
log walls, and projecting over the Ditch at an angle of forty-five degrees. The outlines of these earth-
works are yet well maintained.

Generally this Fort was garrisoned by about one hundred men, with an armament of several
small field cannon which had been dismounted and brought through the forest on the backs of horses.
Captain William March Snook commanded it for three or four months, and Major (afterwards Colonel)
Thomas Hunt about eighteen months. It was probably dismantled and abandoned by I'nited States
soldiers about the 1st June, 1796.

The site has continued the property of the (\'iltage and the) City of Defiance, and it is freely open
as a Public Park. This Fort Defiance Park was surveyed, in common with the other historic places
along the Maumee River, in August, 1K8M, under the supervision of Colonel O. M. Poe, of the Corps of
Engineers of the United States Army, and in obedience to Act of Congress approved 24th May, 188H. A
monument was recommended for this place to cost five thousand dollars; but the bill was not passed.
John S. Snook, M. C. introduced a bill to the Linited States House of Representatives February 10.
1904, for the appropriation of $"3.'),(XK) for the erection of a monument in this Park to the honor of General
Anthony Wayne. The Trustees of The Defiance Public Library, by permission of the City Council,
located the Carnegie Library building in this Park west of the Earthworks in 1904. See Chapter on
Libraries.

202 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

Fort Defiance 12th September, 1794. This day the pioneers were ordered to cut
the road up the [north side of the] Miami [Maumee] under the direction of the sub-
legionary quartermaster ; they are to commence at seven o'clock to-morrow morning.

Fort Defiance fifth September. 1794. This day a general order was issued, setting
forth that the legion would march to-morrow morning precisely at seven o'clock, every
department to prepare themselves accordingly. The squaw that Wells captured on the
11th August, was this day liberated and sent home. Three soldiers of the 1st and three
of the 3rd sub-legions deserted last night : sixteen volunteers pursued them ; they are to
receive twenty dollars if they bring them in dead or alive.

Camp Hi Mile Tree* 14th September. 17!M. The legion began their march for
the Miami villages at 7 o'clock this morning and encamped on this ground at ii o'clock,
after marching in the rain eight hours.

Camp 2.'!rd Mile Treet l-)th September, 1794. The legion marched at 0 and en-
camped at 4 o'clock. Captain Preston, who commanded the light troops in the rear,
got lost and lay out from the army all night with a large part of the baggage.

Camp 33rd Mile TreeJ Kith September, 1794. We encamped on this ground at 4
o'clock, after passing over very rough roads, and woods thick with brush, the timber very
lofty and the land generally rich and well watered.

Camp Miami 'Villagesll 17th September. 1794. The army halted on this ground at 5
o'clock P. M., being 47 miles from Fort Defiance and 14 from our last encampment;
there are nearly five hundred acres of cleared land lying in one body on the rivers St.
Joseph, St. Mary and the Miami [Maumee] ; there are fine points of land contiguous to
these rivers adjoining the cleared land. The rivers are navigable for small craft in the
summer, and in the winter there is water sufficient for large boats, the land adjacent
fertile and well timbered, and from every appearance it has been one of the largest
settlements made by the Aborigines in this country.

Camp Miami 'Villages l.Sth September, 1794. This day the Commander-in-Chief
reconnoitered the ground and determined on the spot to build a fort. The troops
fortified their camps, as they halted too late yesterday to cover themselves. Four de-
serters from the British came to us this day ; they bring information that the Aborigines
are encamped eight miles below the British fort [Miami] to the number of 1(300.

Camp Miami 'Villages 19th September, 1794. This day we hear that General Bar-
ber's brigade of mounted volunteers are within twelve miles of this place, and will be in
early to-morrow with large supplies of flour ; we have had heavy rains, the wind north-
west, and the clouds have the appearance of emptying large quantities on this western
world.

Camp Miami 'Villages 20th September, 1794. Last night it rained violently, and
the wind blew from the northwest harder than I knew heretofore. General Barber with
his command arrived in camp about 9 o'clock this morning with ."i."i3 kegs of flour, each
containing 100 pounds.

Camp Miami Villages 21st September, 1794. The Commander-in-Chief reviewed
the legion this day at 1 o'clock. All the quartermaster's horses set off this morning,
escorted by the mounted volunteers, for Greenville and are to return the soonest
possible. We have not one quart of salt on this ground, which occasions bad and dis-
agreeable living until the arrival of the next escort.

Camp Miami 'Villages 22nd September, 1794. Nothing of consequence took place
to-day except that the troops drew no salt with their fresh provisions.

'Near the mouth of Platter Creek, westward from Defiance eleven and a half miles.
1 Nearly opposite the present Village of Antwerp, Paulding County, Ohio,
t Near the east line of Milan Township, Allen County, Indiana.
IIAt the head of the Maumee River. See map ante pa^e 97.

BEGINNING CONSTRUCTION OF FORT WAYNE. 203

Camp Miami Villages 2lird September, ITW. Four deserters from the British
garrison arrived at our camp; they mention that the Aborigines are still em'bodied on the
Miami [Maumee] nine miles below the British fort [at the mouth of Swan Creek] ; that
they are somewhat divided in opinion, some are for peace and others for war.

Camp Miami Villages 24th September, 17il4. This day the work commenced on
the Fort, which I am apprehensive will take some time to complete. A keg of whiskey
containing ten gallons was purchased this day for eighty dollars, a sheep for ten dollars :
three dollars was offered for one pint of salt, but it could not be obtained for less
than six.

Camp Miami Villages 2.1th September, 1794. Lieutenant Blue of the dragoons was
this day arrested by [on complaint of] Ensign Johnson of the 4th sub-legion, but a
number of their friends interfering the dispute was settled upon Lieutenant Blue asking
Ensign Johnson's pardon.

Camp Miami Villages 2()th September. 17114. M'Clelland. one of our spies, with
a small party came in this evening from Fort Defiance, and brings information that the
enemy are troublesome about the Fort, and that they have killed some of our men under
its walls. Sixteen Aborigines were seen to day near this place ; a small party went in
pursuit of them. I have not heard what discoveries they have made.

Camp Miami Villages 27th September, 17'.M. No intelligence of the enemy. The
rain fell considerably last night ; this morning the wind is southwest.

Camp Miami Villages 2iSth September. 17i(4. The weather proves colder.

Camp Miami Villages .'iOth September. 17i)4. Salt and whisky were drawn by the
troops this day, and a number of the soldiers became much intoxicated, they having stolen
a quantity of liquor from the quartermaster.

Camp Miami Villages 1st October, 1794. The volunteers appear to be uneasy, and
have refused to do duty. They are ordered by the Commander-in-Chief to march to-
morrow for Greenville to assist the pack-horses, which I am told they are determined not
to do.

Camp Miami Villages 2d October, 1794. This morning the volunteers refused to go
on command, and demanded of General Scott to conduct them home ; he ordered them
to start with General Barber, and if they made the smallest delay they should lose all
their pay and be reported to the war office as revolters. This had the desired effect and
they went off, not in good humor.

Camp Miami Villages lid October. 1794. Every officer, non-commissioned officer
and soldier belonging to the square are on fatigue this day, hauling trees on the hind
wheels of wagons ; the first day we got an extra gill [of whiskey] per man, which appears
to be all the compensation at this time in the power of the Commander-in-Chief to make
the troops.

Camp Miami Villages 4th October, 1794. This morning we had the hardest frost I
ever saw in the middle of December; it was like a small snow ; there was ice in our
camp-kettles three-fourths of an inch thick. The fatigues go on with velocity, considering
the rations the troops are obliged to live on.

Camp Miami Villages .5th October. 1794. The weather extremely cold, and hard
frosts; the wind northwest. Everything quiet, and nothing but harmony and peace
throughout the camp, which is something uncommon.

Camp Miami Villages lith October, 1794. Plenty and quietness the same as yester-
day. The volunteers engaged to work on the Fort, for which they are to receive three
gills of whisky per man per day ; their employment is digging the ditch and filling up the
parapet.

Camp Miami Villages 7th October, 1794. The volunteers are soon tired of work and
have refused to labor any longer ; they have stolen and killed seventeen beeves in the
course of these two days past.

204

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

P E

*Fort Wayne was principally built under direct supervision ot ( .tMiei al Anthony Wayne between the
18th September and 22nd October. 1794. There were but two blockhouses. The palisaded enclosure
was about 150 feet square. The Officers' quarters were at the north ; the Quartermaster's quarters, with
subordinates, at the west, or front ; the Cooks' .quarters at the east ; and the Stores at the south.

GENERAL WAYNE AND ARMY AT HEAD OF MAUMEE. 205

Camp Miami Villages Sth October. 1704. The troops drew but half rations of flour
this day. The cavalry and other horses die very fast, not less than four or five per day.

Camp Miami Villages itth October. 1701. The volunteers have agreed to build a
blockhouse in front of the Fort.

Camp Miami Villages llth October, 1704. A Canadian (Rozelle) [Antoine Lasalle]
with a flag [of truce] arrived this evening; his business was to deliver up three prisoners
in exchange for his brother, who was taken on the 20th August. He brings information
that the Aborigines are in council with Girty and M'Kee near the fort of Detroit ; that all
the tribes are for peace except the Shawneese who are determined to prosecute the war.

Camp Miami Villages 12th October, 1704. The mounted volunteers of Kentucky
marched for Greenville, to be mustered and dismissed the service of the United States
army, they being of no further service therein.

Camp Miami Villages 13th October. 1704. Captain Gibson marched this day, and
took with him a number of horses for Fort Recovery to receive supplies of provisions.

Camp Miami Villages 14th October, 1704. Nothing particular this day.

Camp Miami Villages 15th October. 1704. The Canadian that came in on the llth.
left us this day accompanied by his brother; they have promised to furnish the garrison
at Defiance with stores at a moderate price, which, if performed, will be a great advan-
tage to the officers and soldiers of that post.

Camp Miami Villages KHh October. 1704. Nothing new; weather wet and cold,
wind from the northwest. The troops healthy in general.

Camp Miami Villages 17th October, 1704. This day Captain Gibson arrived with a
large quantity of flour, beef and sheep.

Camp Miami Villages, 18th October, 1704. Captain Springer and Brock, with all
the pack-horses, marched with the cavalry this morning for Greenville, and the foot
[infantry] for [Fort] Recovery, the latter to return with the smallest delay with a supply
of provisions for this post and Defiance.

The Commandants were : Colonel John Francis Haintiainck. 22nd Ociobei. 1794. to 17th May. 1796;
he died at Detroit, llth .-Vpril. 18(>3. Major [afterwards Colonel} Thomas Hunt. 25th May. 1796, to 1799?
He brought his family from Massachusetts to the Fort in 1797, His son General John E. Hunt, was born

here 1st .\pril, 179H. Major Whipple? Major Thomas Fasteuer' Major Zebulon M. Pike. Captain

Nathan Heald. Captain James Rhea, to 13th September. 1812. Captain Hugh Moore, 1812. Captain Joseph
Jenkinson. 1813. The Maumee reeion was at this date in Military District No. 8. Captain [brevet Major)
John Whistler conunanded from 1814 to 1817. He was probably there in the early summer of 1812. The
Fort was generally rebuilt by him in 1814-15. and materially changed. He infused new life in the carrison.
and into the town as well. Major Whistler came to America in Bureoyne's army and was taken prisoner at
Saratoga. He was in St. Clair's army at its defeat in 1791. Was aspiring and won his commissions from
merit. He was the last commander of Fort St. Marys in 1814. He died at St. Louis about 1826. Captain
(afterwards Major and Colonel by brevet) Josiah H. Vose commanded Fort Wayne from 1817 until its
abandonment 19th April. 1819. when it was in Department No. 5, yet subordinate to Detroit. Colonel
John Johnston wrote in 1859 that Major Vose was the only army officer known to him in 1812 who
publicly professed Christianity. He was constant in assembling his men on Sunday, reading the Scriptures
to them and discoursing thereon. He died at New Orleans iDth July, 1845. — Lossings War of 1812,
page 316.

The later garrisons of Fort Wayne numbered as follows: 1st January, 1803, 64 soldiers: Early in
1812. 85 according to the Peace Establishment; 1815, 60; 31st December. 1817, 56; October. 1818. 91 ; 19th
April. 1819, 91 men, viz: Major Vose; 1 Post Surgeon; 2 Captains; 1 1st Lieutenant; 5 Sergeants; 4
Corporals; 4 Musicians (2 fifers. 1 snare drummer and 1 bass drummer) ; and 74 Matrosses (artillerymen)
and Privates. The artillery then consisted of one six and one twelve pounder.

All that is now left to the public of the site of Fort Wayne beside streets, is a small triangular piece
of ground at the northeast corner of Main and Clay Streets, narrowed on the north by the New York,
Chicago and St. Louis Railway along the line of the former Wabash and Erie Canal.

In an appendix of the Annual Report of ithe Chief of United States Engineers for 1889. it is re-
commended that a monument to cost $5,000 be erected here ; but Congress has not made up to this time
(1904) any appropriation for this p-urpose- Grand Army Posts have since mounted a more modern cannon
on a high pedestal which is inscribed in memory of General Wayne, and of later wars.

206 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

Camp Miami Villages Utth October, 1794. This day the troops were not ordered
for labor, being the first day for four weeks, and accordingly attended divine service.

Camp Miami Villages 20th October, 1794. An express arrived this day with dis-
patches to the Commander-in-Chief; the contents are kept secret.

A court-martial to sit this day for the trial of Lieutenant Charles Hyde.

Camp Miami Villages 21st October, 1794. This day were read the proceedings of a
general court-martial held on Lieutenant Charles Hyde (yesterday) ; was found not
guilty of the charges exhibited against him, and was therefore acquitted.

Camp Miami Villages 22d October, 1794. This morning at 7 o'clock the following
companies, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel-Commandant Hamtramck of the
1st sub-legion, took possession of this place, viz; Captain Kingsbury's 1st; Captain
Greaton's 2d; Captain Spark's and Captain Reed's Hd ; Captain Preston's 4th; and
Captain Porter's, of artillery ; and after firing fifteen rounds of cannon [one for each of
the States then in the Union] Colonel Hamtramck gave it the name of Fort Wayne.

Camp Miami Villages 2)M October, 1794. The general fatigue of the garrison
ended this day and Colonel Hamtramck, with the troops under his command to furnish
[finish] it as he may think fit. All the soldiers' huts are completed except covering, and
the weather is favorable for that work.

Camp Miami Villages 24th October, 1794. This day the troops drew but half
rations of beef and flour, the beef very bad.

Camp Miami \'illages 2.")th October, 1794. Nothing extraordinary the same as
yesterday.

This evening Captain Springer with the escort arrived with a supply of flour and
salt. .\ Frenchman and a half Aborigine came to headquarters, but where they are
from or their business we cannot learn but that it is of a secret nature.

Camp Miami Villages 26th October, 1794. Nothing occurring today except an
expectation to march the day after to-morrow.

Camp Miami Villages 27th October, 1794. Agreeable to general orders of this day,
we will march for Greenville to-morrow morning at 8 o'clock.

Camp Nine miles [southeast] from Fort Wayne 2Sth October, 1794. The legion
took up the line of march at 9 o'clock and arrived here without anything particular
occurring.

Camp Twenty-one miles [southeast] from Fort Wayne 29th October, 1794. The
troops proceeded on their march at sunrise, and arrived on this ground at half past
ff o'clock, our way was through rich and well timbered land, the weather cold and much
like for rain.

Camp Southwest side of St. Mary River 80th October, 1794. The legion proceeded
on their march at 7 o'clock, and arrived here at sunset ; continual heavy rain all day.

Camp Girty Town* 81st October, 1794. The troops took up their line of march at
sunrise, and arrived here three hours after night, through heavy rain.

Greenville 2nd November 1794. This evening the legion arrived here, where they
marched from 28th July, 1794.

We were saluted with twenty-four rounds from a six-pounder. Our absence from
this ground amounted to three months and six days. And so ends the expedition of Gen-
eral Wayne's campaign.

*From James Girty the trader. Site of the present City of St, Marys, Auglaise County, Ohio.

FORT DEFIANCE. BEGINNING AND SURROUNDINGS. 207

CHAPTER VIII.

General Wayne's Reports — Treaty at Greenyille. 1794, 1795.

General Wayne reported to the Secretary of War from time to time,
and such reports as are of interest to this rej^ion are here given:

Head Quarters. Grand Glai.se [Fort Defiance] 14th August, 1794.

Sir ; I have the honor to inform you, that the army under my command took posses-
sion of this very important post on the morning of the .Sth instant — the enemy, on the pre-
ceding evening, having abandoned all their settlements, towns, and villages, with such
apparent marks of surprise and precipitation, as to amount to a positive proof that our
approach was not discovered by them until the arrival of a Mr. Newman, of the Quarter-
master General's department, who deserted from the army near the St. Mary [River]
and gave them every information in his power as to our force, the object of our destina-
tion, state of provision, number and size of the artillery, &c.. &c., circumstances and
facts that he had but too good an opportunity of knowing, from acting as a field quarter-
master on the march, and at the moment of his desertion. Hence. I have good grounds
to conclude that the defection of this villain prevented the enemy from receiving a fatal
blow at this place, when least expected."""

I had made such demonstrations, for a length of time previously to taking up our line
of march, as to induce the savages to expect our advance by the route of the Miami vill-
ages to the left, or towards Roche de Bout by the right ; which feints appear to have pro-
duced the desired effect by drawing the attention of the enemy to those points, and gave
an opening for the arm\' -to approach undiscovered by a devious route, i. e. in a central
direction, and which would be impracticable for an army, except in a dry season such as
then presented.

Thus sir. we ha\'e gained possession of the grand emporium of the hostile ,\liorigines
of the West, without loss of blood. The very extensive and highly cultivated fields and
gardens show the work of many hands. The margin? of these beautiful rivers, the Mia-
mies of the lake [Maumee] and An Glaize, appear like one continued village for a number
of miles both above and below this place [chief Blue Jacket's towns on right bank of
Auglaise River one mile above its mouth, and on left bank of Maumee one and a half
miles below mouth of .Auglaise] nor have I ever before beheld such immense fields of corn
in any part of .America, from Canada to Florida.

We are now employed in completing a strong stockade fort, with four good block
houses by way of bastions, at the confluence of Au Glaize and the Miamies [Maumee]
which I have called Defiance.^ Another fort was also erected on the bank of the [River]
St. Mary twenty-four miles advanced of Recovery, which was named .Adams and endowed
with provision and a proper garrison.

Everything is now prepared for a forward move to-morrow morning towards Roche
de Bout, or foot of the Rapids, where the British have a regular fortification well supplied
with artillery and strongly garrisoned, in the vicinity of which the fate of the campaign
will probably be decided ; as, from the best and most recent intelligence the enemy are
there collected in force, and joined by the militia of Detroit, (Src. &c., possessed of ground
very unfavorable for cavalry to act in. Yet. notwithstanding this unfavorable intelligence.

*This deserter. Newman, was finally arrested at Pittsburn and sent down the Ohio to Headquarters.

+ Regarding the naming of this Fort, tradition says that General Wayne, as the walls assumed the
desired form, remarked that he could here safely defy the savages, the British, and all the devils. Then .
said General Charles Scott who was present, call it Fort Deiiance. ^

208 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

and unpleasant circumstances of ground, I do not despair of success from the spirit and
ardor of the troops, from the generals down to the privates, both of the legion and
mounted volunteers.

Yet I have thought proper to offer the enemy a last overture of peace; and as they
have everything that is dear and interesting now at stake, I have reason to expect that
they will listen to the proposition mentioned in the enclosed copy of an address*
despatched yesterday by a special flag, who I sent under circumstances that will ensure
his safe return, and which may eventually spare the effusion of much human blood.

But, should war be their choice, that blood be upon their own heads. America
shall no longer be insulted with impunity. To an all-powerful and just God I therefore
commit myself and gallant army, and have the honor to be, with every consideration of
respect and esteem, Your most obedient and very humble servant.

Anthony Wavne.
The Hon. Major General Knox, Secretary of War.

The Report of General Wayne after the Battle of Fallen Timber is
as follows :

Head Quarters, Grand Glaise [Fort Defiance] 2Hth August, 1794.
Sir : It is with infinite pleasure that I now announce to you the brilliant success of
the Federal army under my command, in a general action with the combined force of the
hostile Aborigines, and a considerable number of the volunteers and militia of Detroit, on
the 20th instant, on the banks of the Miami [Maumee] in the vicinity of the British post
and garrison, at the foot of the Rapids.

* To the Delawares. Shawanese, Miamis. and Wyandots. and to each and every one of them, and
to all other nations of Aborigines northwest of the Ohio, whom it may concern :

I. Anthony Wayne, Major General and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal army now at Grand
Glaise [ Fori Defiance 1 and Commissioner Plenipotentiary of the United States of America, for settlinR
the terms upon which a permanent and lasting peace shall be made with each and every of the
hostile tribes, or nations of Aboriirines northwest of the Ohio, and of the said United States, actuated by
the purest principles of humanity, and urtjed by pity for the errors into which bad and desipninc men
have_led you; from the head of my army, now in possession of your abandoned villages and settlements,
do hereby once more extend the friendly hand of peace towards you, and invite each and every of the
hostile tribes of Aborigines to appoint deputies to meet me and my army, without delay, between this
place and Roche de Bout, in order to settle the preliminaries of a lastinp peace which may eventually,
and soon, restore to you the Delawares, Miamis. Shawanese, and all other tiibes and nations lately
settled at this place and on the margins of the Miami I Maumee 1 and au Glaise rivers, your late grounds
and possessions, and to preserve you and your distressed and hapless women and children from danger
and famine during tlie present fall and ensuing winter.

The arm of the I'nited States is strong and powerful, but they love mercy and kindness more than
war and desolation.

And. to remove any doubts or apprehensions of danger to the persons of the deputies whom you
may appoint to meet this army, I hereby pledge my sacred honor for their safety and return, and send
Christopher Miller [see an(e page 1871 an adopted Shawanee, and a Shawanee warrior whom I took
prisoner two days ago, as a flag, who will advance in their front to meet me.

Mr. Miller was taken prisoner by a party of my warriors six moons since, and can testify to you
the kindness which I have shown to your people my prisoners, that is five warriors and two women, who
are now all safe and well at Greenville.

But. should this invitation be disregarded and my flag, Mr. Miller, be detained or injured, I will
immediately order all those prisoners to be put to death, without distinction, and some of them are
known to belong to the first families of your nations.

Brothers: Be no longer deceived or led astray by the false promises and language of the bad
white men at the foot of the Rapids; they have neither the power nor the inclination to protect you. No
longer shut your eyes to your true interest and happiness, nor your ears to this last overture of peace.
But, in pity to your innocent women and children, come and prevent the further effusion of your blood;
let them experience the kindness and friendship of the United States of America, and the invaluable
blessings of peace and tranquility. Anthony Wayne.

Grand Glaise [Fort Defiance] I3th August, 1794, ■ ,

WAYNE'S REPORT OF BATTLE AT FALLEN TIMBER. 209

The army advanced from this place on the 1.5th, and arrived at Roche de Bout on the
18th; the lOth we were employed in making a temporary post for the reception of the stores
and baggage [Fort Deposit] and in reconnoitering the position of the enemy, who were en-
camped behind a thick brushy wood and the British fort.

At S o'clock on the morning of the 20th the army again advanced in columns,
agreeably to the Standing Order of March, the legion on the right, its right flank covered
by the Miamis [Maumee River] one brigade of mounted volunteers on the left under
Brigadier General Todd, and the other in the rear under Brigadier General Barbie. A
select battalion of mounted volunteers moved in front of the legion, commanded by Major
Price who was directed to keep sufficiently advanced so as to give timely notice for the
troops to form in case of action, it being yet undetermined whether the Aborigines would
decide for peace or war. After advancing about five miles Major Price's corps received
so severe a fire from the enemy, who were secreted in the woods and high grass, as to
compel them to retreat. The legion was immediately formed in two lines, principally in
a close thick wood which e.xtended for miles on our left and for a considerable distance
in front, the ground being covered with old fallen timber probably occasioned by a tornado
which rendered it impracticable for the cavalry to act with effect, and afforded the enemy
the most favorable covert for their mode of warfare. The savages were formed in three
lines, within supporting distance of each other and extending for near two miles, at right
angles with the river. I soon discovered from the weight of the fire and extent of their
lines, that the enemy were in full force in front in possession of their favorite ground, and
endeavoring to turn our left flank. I therefore gave orders for the second line to advance
and support the first, and directed Major General Scott to gain and turn the right flank of
the savages with the whole of the mounted volunteers by a circuitous route ; at the same
time I ordered the front line to advance and charge with trailed arms and rouse the
Abori.gines from their coverts at the point of the bayonet and, when up, to deliver a close
and well direct fire on their backs followed by a brisk charge so as not to give them time
to load again.

I also ordered Captain Mis Campbell, who commanded the legionary cavalry, to
turn the left flank of the enemy next to the river, and which afforded a favorable field
for that corps to act in. All these orders were obeyed with spirit and promptitude ; but
such was the impetuosity of the charge by the first line of infantry, that the Aborigines,
and Canadian militia, and volunteers, were driven from all their coverts in so short a
time that, although every possible exertion was used by the officers of the second line of
the legion and by Generals Scott, Todd and Barbie, of the mounted volunteers to gain
their proper positions, but part of each could get up in season to participate in the action,
the enemy being driven in the course of one hour more than two miles through the thick
woods already mentioned, by less than half their numbers.

From every account, the enemy amounte(J to two thousand combatants. The troops
actually engaged against them were short of nine hundred. This horde of savages, with
their allies, abandoned themselves to flight, and dispersed with terror and dismay,
leaving our victorious armv in full and quiet possession of the field of battle which termi-
nated under the influence [range] of the guns of the British garrison, as you will observe
by the enclosed correspondence between Major Campbell, the commandant, and myself,
upon the occasion. [This correspondence is given after this report].

The bravery and conduct of every officer belonging to the army, from the Generals
down to the Ensigns, merit my highest approbation. There were, however, some whose
rank and situation placed their conduct in a very conspicuous point of view, and which I
observed with pleasure and the most lively gratitude ; among whom I must beg leave to
mention Brigadier General Wilkinson and Colonel Hamtramck the commandants of the
right and left wings of the legion, whose brave example inspired the troops. To those I
must add the names of my faithful and gallant Aids-de-camp Captains DeButt and

210 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

T. Lewis, and Lieutenant Harrison, who, with the Adjutant General. Major Mills,
rendered the most essential service by communicating my orders in every direction, and
by their conduct and bravery exciting the troops to press for victory.

Lieutenant Covington, upon whom the command of the cavalry now devolved, cut
down two savages witli his own hand, and Lieutenant Webb one, in turning the enemy's
left flank.

The wounds received by Captains Slough and Prior, and Lieutenant Campbell
Smith an extra aid-de-camp to General Wilkinson of the legionary infantry, and Captain
Van Rensselaer of the dragoons. Captain Rawlins. Lieutenant McKenny, and Ensign
Duncan of the mounted volunteers, bear honorable testimony of their bravery and
conduct.

Captains H. Lewis and Brock with their companies of light infantry, had to sustain
an unequal fire for some time, which they supported with fortitude. In fact, every
officer and soldier, who had an opportunity to come into action, displayed that true
bravery which will always ensure success. And here permit me to declare that I never
discovered more true spirit and anxiety for action than appeared to pervade the whole
of the mounted volunteers, and I am well persuaded that, had the enemy maintained
their favorite ground for one half hour longer, they would have most severely felt the
prowess of that corps.

But, whilst I pay this just tribute to the living, I must not neglect the .gallant dead,
among whom we have to lament the early death ot those worthy and brave officers
Captain Mis Campbell of the dragoons, and Lieutenant Towles of the light infantry, of
the legion, who fell in the first charge.

Enclosed is a particular return of the [thirty-three] killed and [one hundred]
wounded [eleven of whom died previous to the sending of this report]. The loss of the
enemy was more than double to that of the Federal army. The woods were strewed for
a considerable distance with the dead bodies of the Aborigines and their white auxil-
iaries, the latter armed with British muskets and bayonets.

We remained three days and nights on the banks of the Miami [Maumee] in front
of the field of battle, during which time all the houses and cornfields were consumed
and destroyed for a considerable distance, both above and below Fort Miami, as well as
within pistol shot of that garrison who were compelled to remain tacit spectators to this
general devastation and conflagration, among which were the houses, stores, and prop-
erty of Colonel McKee the British Aborigine agent and principal stimulator of the war
now existing between the United States and the savages.

The army returned to this place [Fort Defiance] on the 27th by easy marches, laying
waste the villages and cornfields for about fifty miles on [along] each side of the Miami
[Maumee]. There remain yet a great number of villages, and a great quantity of corn,
to be consumed or destroyed, upon An Glaise and the Miami [Maumee] above this place,
which will be effected in the course of a few days.

In the interim we shall improve Fort Defiance and, as soon as the escort returns with
the necessary supplies from Greenville and Fort Recovery, the army will proceed to the
Miami Villages [at the head of the Maumee River] in order to accomplish the [final]
object of the campaign.

It is, however, not improbable that the enemy may make one desperate effort against
this army, as it is said that a reinforcement was hourly expected at Fort Miami from Nia-
gara as well as numerous tribes of Aborigines living on the margin and islands of the
lakes. This is a business rather to be wished for than dreaded whilst the army remains
in force. Their numbers will only tend to confuse the savages and the victory will be the
more complete and decisive, and which may eventually ensure a permanent and happy
peace.

CORRESPONDENCE REGARDING EORT MIAMI. 211

Under these impressions, I have the honor to be your most obedient and very hum-
ble servant. Anthony Wayne.

The honorable Major General H. Knox, Secretary of War.

N. B. I forgot to mention that I met my flag [Christopher Miller] on the Kith, who
was returning with an evasive answer in order to gain time for the arrival of the rein-
forcement mentioned by the Shawanee Aborigine, and which actually did arrive two days
before the action.

The correspondence that passed between the British and American
commanders, mentioned on page 209, is as follows:

Miami [MaumeeI River August 21. 1794.
Sir : An army of the United States of America, said to be under your command, having taken post
on the banks of the Miami [Maumee] for upwards of the last twenty-four hours, almost within the reach
of the cuns of this fort [Miamil. beinc a post belonpinK to his Majesty the King of Great Britain, occupied
by his Majesty's troops, and which I have the honor to command, it becomes my duty to inform myself as
speedily as possible, in what light I am to view your making such near approaches to this garrison.

I have no hesitation on my part to say that I know of no war existing between Great Britain and
America.

! have the honor to be. sir, with great respect, your most obedient and very humble servant.

William Campbell,
Major 24th regiment, commanding a British post on the banks of the Miami [MaumeeI. To Major
General Wayne, &c.

Camp on the Bank of the Miami [Maumee] August 31, 1794.

Sir: I have received your letter of this date, requiring from me the motives which have moved
the army under my command to the position they at present occupy, far within the acknowledged juris-
diction of the United States of America. Without questioning the authority or the propriety, sir, of
your interrogatory. I think I may without breach of decorum observe to you that, were you entitled to an
answer, the most full and satisfactory one was announced to you from the muzzles of ray small arms yes-
terday morning in the action against the horde of savages in the vicinity of your post, which terminated
gloriously to the American arms ; but, had it continued until the Aborigines. &c.. were driven under the
influence of the post and guns you mention, they would not have much impeded the progress of the vic-
torious army under my command, as no such post was established at the commencement of the present
war between the Aborigines and the United States.

I have the honor to be, sir, with great respect, your most obedient, and very humble servant.

Anthony Wayne.
Major General, and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Army.

To Major William Campbell. &c.

Fort Miami August 22d, 1794.

Sir : Although your letter of yesterday's date fully authorizes me to any act of hostility against the
army of the United States of America in this neighborhood under your command, yet, still anxious to
prevent that dreadful decision which, perhaps, is not intended to be appealed to by either of our coun-
tries. I have forborne, for those two days past, to resent those insults you have offered to the British flag
flying at this fort, by approaching it within pistol shot of my works, not only singly, but in numbers, with
arms in their hands.

Neither is it my wish to wage war with individuals ; hut, should you after this continue to approach
my pobt in the threatening manner you are at this moment doing, my indispensable duty to my King and
country, and the honor of my profession, will oblige me to have recourse to those measures which thou-
sands of either nation may hereafter have cause to regret, and which, 1 solemnly appeal to God, I have
used my utmost endeavors to arrest.

I have the honor to be, sir, with much respect, your most obedient and very humble servant.

William Campbell.
Major 24th regiment, commanding at Fort Miami.

Major General Wayne, i^c, &c..

General Wayne adds in his report that

No other notice was taken of this letter than what is expressed in the following
letter. The fort and works were, however, reconnoitered in every direction, at some
points possibly within pistol shot. It was found to be a regular strong work, the front
covered by a wide river, with four guns mounted in that face. The rear, which was
most susceptible of approach, had two regular bastions furnished with eight pieces of

212 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

artillery, the whole surrounded by a wide deep ditch with horizontal pickets projecting
from the burn of the parapet over the ditch. From the bottom of the ditch to the top of
the parapet was about twenty feet perpendicular. The works were also surrounded by
an abbatis, and furnished with a strong garrison. [The correspondence concluded as
follows] :

Camp, Banks of Miami [Maumee] 23d August, 1794.

Sir : In your letter of the 21st instant you declare ' I have no hesitation, on my part, to say that I
know of no war existint: between Great Britain and America."

I, on my part, declare the same, and that the only cause I have to entertain a contrary idea at
present, is the hostile act you are now in commission of. i. e. by recently taking post far within the well
known and acknowledeed limits of the United States, and erecting a fortification in the heart of the
settlements of the Aboriyine tribes now at war with the United States. This, sir, appears to be an act
of the hi^rhest aggression, and destructive to the peace and interest of the Union. Hence, it becomes my
duty to desire, and 1 do hereby desire and demand, in the name of the President of the United States,
that you immediately desist from anv further act of hostility or aggression, by forbearing to fortify, and
by withdrawing the troops, artillery, and stores, under your orders and direction, forthwith, and remov-
ing to the nearest post occupied by his Britannic Majesty's troops at the peace of 1783. and which you
will be permitted to do unmolested by the troops under my command.

I am. with very great respect, sir, your most obedient and very humble servant,

Anthony Wayne,

Major William Campbell, &c.

Fort Miami 23d August, 17fH,

Sir: I have this moment to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of this date; in answer to
which I have only to say, that, being placed here in the command of a British post, and acting in a
military capacity only, I cannot enter into any discussion, either on the right or impropriety of my occu-
pying my present position. Those are matters that I conceive will be best left to the embassadors of our
different nations.

Having said this much, permit me to inform you that I certainly will not abandon this post at the
summons of any power whatever, until I receive orders to that purpose from those I have the honor to
serve under, or the fortune of war should oblige me.

I must still adhere, sir, to the purport of my letter this morning, to desire that your army, or
individuals belonging to it, will not approach within reach of my cannon, without expecting the conse-
quences attending it.

Although 1 have said, in the former part of m\' letter, that my situation here is totally military, yet,
let me add. sir, that I am much deceived if his Majesty, the King of Great Britain, had not a post on this
river at and prior to the period you mention. (Fort Miami at the head of the Maumee River, captured
by Chief Nicholas in 1763].

I have the lienor to be, sir. with the greatest respect, your most obedient and very humble servant.

William Campbell,
Major 24th regiment, commanding at Fort Miami.

To Major General Wayne, &c.

In his report to the Secretary of War General Wayne writes that
The only notice taken of this letter, was by immediately setting fire
to, and destroying, everything within view of the fort, and even under
the muzzles of his guns. Had Mr. Campbell carried his threats into
execution, it is more than i>rol)able that he would have experienced a
storm.'

Antoine Lassell, a native of Canada and a volunteer in the British
Captain Caldwell's company of refugees, friends and allies of the
hostile Aborigines, was captured by the Americans the 20th August,
the day of the Battle of Fallen Timber, and he testified before General
Wayne at Fort Defiance as follows :

He says that he has resided for twenty-nine years in Upper Canada, twenty-one of
which he has passed at Detroit and on this [Maumee] river, and that he has constantly
traded with the Aborigines all that time ; that he resided at the Miami villages for nine-
teen years before Harmar's expedition, when he kept a store at that place, and used to

SAVAGE TRIBES AND BRITISH INFLUENCES. 215

supply other traders with goods ; that he has since lived chiefly at Bean Creek or Little
Glaise [on left bank of Tiffin River, one rffile below Brunersburg and one mile-and-a-half
from Fort Defiance] at the Little Turtle's town.

That, having lived so long among the hostile Aborigines, he is perfectly acquainted
with the tribes and numbers.

That the Delawares have about MK) men including those who live on both rivers —
the White River and Bean Creek. That the Miamis are about 200 warriors ; part of
them live on the [River] St. Joseph, eight leagues from this place [Fort Defiance] ; that
the men were all in the action [at Fallen Timber] but the women are yet at that place,
or Piquet's village [not far from the present St. Joseph. Indiana] ; that a road leads
from that place directly to it ; [This trail is yet remembered in Defiance County. It
remained until obliterated by the development of farms, in places being noticeable as
late as the year 18(i0] ; that the number of warriors belonging to that place, when all
together, amounts to about 40.

That the Shawanese have about :{00 warriors ; that the Tawas [Ottawas] on this
river are 2.50 ; that the Wyandots are about :i00.

That those Aborigines were generally in the action of the 20th instant, except some
hunting parties. That a reinforcement of regular troops and 200 militia arrived at Fort
Miami a few days before the army appeared ; that the regular troops in the fort
amounted to 2.i0, exclusive of militia.

That about seventy of the militia, including Captain Caldwell's corps, were in the
action. That Colonel McKee, Captain Elliott, and Simon Girty, were in the field, but
at a respectful distance and near the river.

That Colonel M'Kee's existence now depends upon the exertions he can make to
retrieve the loss and disgrace of the Aborigines ; that he will use every influence and
means in his power to raise the distant nations to come forward immediately and assist
in the war.

That, should they not be able to collect in force sufiicient to fight this army, their
intention is to move on the Spanish side of the Mississippi where part of their nations
now live ; that Blue Jacket told him (Lassell) that he intended to move immediately to
Chicago, on the Illinois.

That the Aborigines have wished for peace for some time, but that Colonel M'Kee
always dissuaded them from it. and stimulated them to continue the war.

Colonel John Johnson, while American Agent to the Aborigines
at Fort Wayne knew this Antoine Lasselle, or LaSalle. He was
informed that Lasselle was captured at the Battle of Fallen Timber
while dressed and painted as a savage, and that upon examination at
Fort Deposit he was sentenced to be hung. A temporary gallows was
erected, and the execution was ordered, when Colonel John F. Ham-
tramck of the 1st Regiment Infantry, who was also a Frenchman,
interceded and saved his life. His brother ransomed him at Fort
Wayne the 13th October, 1794 (see ante, page '205) by three American
prisoners. General Wayne and Colonel Hamtramck were quick to see
the worth of these brothers Lasselle to the American cause, and culti-
vated their interest which, from their wit and gratitude, amounted to a
great force in turning the Aborigines from the British. The blanks in
General Wayne's reports on another page may be filled with the name
Antoine Lasselle. Colonel Hamtramck refers to his favorable work in

214 ■ THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

letters given on subsequent pages. In after years Antoine was licensed
to trade with the Aborigines at Fort Wayne. Occasionally, in his rem-
iniscent moods, he would clasp his neck with both hands in reference to
' Mad Anthony's ' (General Wayne's) desire to hang him. Another

prisoner, John Bevin, a drummer in the 24th British regiment, testified
after the battle as follows:

There are now four companies of the 24th at Fort Miami, averaging about .'iO men,
non-commissioned officers and privates included ; that there was part of Governor
Simcoe's corps in the garrison, together with about sixty Canadians ; that the whole
number of men actually in the garrison, including officers, &c., exceeded 400; that the
number of Aborigines, Canadians, &c. in the action [Battle of Fallen Timber] were at
least 2000, according to the report made by Colonel M'Keeand Captain Elliott to Major
Campbell after the action, who declared in his presence that there was actually that
number engaged.

That there were four nine-pounders, two large howitzers, and six six-pounders,
mounted in the fort, and two swivels, and well supplied with ammunition.

That the Aborigines were regularly supplied with provision drawn from the British
magazine in the garrison by Colonel M'Kee.

That a certain Mr. Newman, a deserter from the American army, arrived at the
fort about eight days before the army made its appearance, who gave information to
Major Campbell that the object of the Americans was to take that post and garrison;
that General Wayne told the troops not to be uneasy about provisions, that there was
plenty in the British garrison.

That Governor Simcoe was expected at that place every hour in consequence of an
express sent to Niagara after the arrival of Newman the deserter, but had not arrived
when he came away ; that the distance from Fort Miami to Detroit is sixty miles, which
is generally performed in two days.

The militia of Detroit and its vicinity amounts to near two thousand ; that a
Colonel Baubee commands them; that M'Kee is also a Colonel of militia; that a
Lieutenant Silve of the British regiment is in the Aborigine department and acts as
secretary to Colonel M'Kee; that a Captain Bunbury of the same regiment is also in
the .Aborigine department.

That he has seen a great number of wounded Aborigines pass the fort, but did not
learn what number were killed ; that the retiring Aborigines appeared much dejected
and much altered to what they were in the morning before the action ; that he knew of
one company of volunteers, commanded by Captain Caldwell, all white men and armed
with British muskets and bayonets, who were in the action.

A returned prisoner gave information 21st October, 1794, as
follows :

James Neill, a packhorse-man in the service of Elliott and 'Williams, aged Vi years,
and belonging to Beardstown, in Kentucky, was in the action of the .Wth June at Fort
Recovery, and was taken prisoner by the Aborigines, together with Peter Keil and
another by the name of Cherry, and three pack horse-men.

After he was taken prisoner he was carried to the British fort at the Miami
[Maumee] where, however, he was not permitted to be seen by the British as the Abo-
rigines wanted to carry him to their own town; thence he was taken to Detroit, and
thence to Michilimackinac, where a British officer bought him, who sent him to Detroit
to Colonel England who treated them well, and sent them to Niagara, at which place
Peter Keil, being an Irishman, enlisted in the Queen's rangers.

EVIDENCE AGAINST THE SAVAGES AND BRITISH. 215

Neill understood that there were of Aborigines and white men, 1500 in the attack of
Fort Recovery ; he himself did not see the whole, but he saw upwards of seven hundred.

He understood they lost a great many in killed and wounded ; he himself saw about
twenty dead carried off, and many wounded, while he was tied to the stump of a tree
about half a mile distant from the firing.

The Aborigines, on their return to the Miami fort, asserted that no enemy ever
fought better than the people at Fort Recovery ; and Neill was told by Captain Doyle at
Michilimackinac, that the Aborigines lost two to one that they did at St. Clair's defeat.

Neill was taken by the Shawane.se. and made a present to the Ottawas who live near
the fort at Michilimackinac.

Neill was at Detroit when the news arrived of General Wayne's action with the
Aborigines, the 20th August. He received the information from one John Johnson who
was a deserter from General Wayne's army, and then was a militia man of Detroit, and
in the action against General Wayne. He spoke of the affair as a complete defeat ;
that the Aborigines lost a great many but he could not tell how many. He says the
Aborigines, upon being defeated, wanted to take refuge in the British fort ; that they
were denied, which greatly exasperated them.

The militia of Detroit were again ordered out, and several Captains put in the
guard-house for refusing. He understood the militia men were forced on board vessels
and sent to Roche de Bout.

Upon his arrival at Niagara he understood that most of the troops were ordered to
reinforce the garrison at the Miami [Maumee] River, but Governor Simcoe did not go.

Neill says that it was generally said there were only seven hundred Aborigines at
General St. Clair's defeat.

Immediately following the Battle of Fallen Timber many ot the
savages, not finding the expected support and protection from the
British at Fort Miami, fled to Detroit the British headquarters, where
an estimate placed their number, within a few days, at thirteen hun-
dred. Another evidence of the severe effect of the battle on them and
the British militia with them, was the equipment of another hospital
with an additional surgeon at Detroit, the expense of which was
approved by Lieutenant Governor Simcoe the 31st October. The
British also proceeded at once to strengthen Fort Lernoult at Detroit;
and a blockhouse was built on the opposite side of the river, also six
gunboats for patrolling the river. '

Ten days after the Battle of Fallen Timber, 30th August, 1794,

Colonel M'Kee wrote to Colonel England, commandant at Detroit, as

follows :

Camp near Fort Miami August 30, ITOl.

Sir ; I have been employed several days in endeavoring to fix the Aborigines (who
have been driven from their villages and cornfields) between the fort and the Bay. Swan
Creek is generally agreed upon, and will be a very convenient place for the delivery of
provisions, &c.

The last accounts from General Wayne's army were brought me last night by an
Aborigine who says the army would not be able to reach the Glaise [at Fort Defiance]
before yesterday evening, it is supposed on account of the sick and wounded, many of

"^Michigan Pioneer and Historical Collections. Farmer's History of Detroit and Michigan.

216 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

whom they bury every day. I propose being in town in a day or two when I hope for the
pleasure of paying you my respects.

The military interests of this reg^ion in the latter part of 1794 are
set forth in the followinjj^ report of General Wayne to the Secretary of
War, viz :

Head Quarters, Miami Villages [Fort Wayne] 17th October, 1794.

Sir; I have the honor to enclose a duplicate of my letter of the 20th ultimo,
together with the general return of the legion, and an invoice of stores and medicine
wanted in the hospital department.

The great number of sick belonging to the mounted volunteers, added to the sick
and wounded of the legion, has exhausted all the stores forwarded for the year 1794, so
that 1 shall be under the necessity of ordering the Surgeon General to purchase a tem-
porary supply at Fort Washington at an advanced but current price, at that place.

The Quartermaster General is directed to make out a return of the stores issued, on
hand, and wanting, in his department. Major Burbeck has similar orders for the
Ordnance Department, which will be transmitted by the first opportunity. The unfor-
tunate death of Mr. Robert Elliot, the acting contractor, who was killed by the
Aborigines on the (ith instant near Fort Hamilton, added to the deranged state of
that department, has made it my duty to order the Quartermaster General to supply
every defect on the part of the contractors, and at their expense, in behalf of the United
States, to be settled at the treasury at a future day. The posts in contemplation at
Chillicothe or Picquetown on the Miami of the Ohio, at Loramie's store on the north
branch, and at the old Tawa town on the AuGlaise [River] are with a view to facilitate
the transportation of supplies by water and which, to a certainty, will reduce the land
carriage of dead or heavy articles, at proper seasons, viz : late in the fall and early in
the spring, to thirty-five miles, and in times of freshets to twenty in place of 17.") by the
most direct road to Grand Glaise [Fort Defiance] and 150 to the Miami Villages from
Fort Washington on the present route of transport in time of war, and decidedly so in
time of peace.

The mounted volunteers of Kentucky marched from this place on the morning of
the 14th instant for Fort Washington, where they are to be mustered and discharged
agreeably to instructions mentioned in the enclosed duplicates of letters to Major
General Scott and Captain Edward Butler, upon the occasion.

The conduct of both officers and men of this corps, in general, has been better than
any militia I have heretofore seen in the field for so great a length of time. But it would
not do to retain them any longer, although our present situation, as well as the term for
which they were enrolled, would have justified their being continued in service until the
14th November, in order to escort the supplies from Fort Washington to the head of the
line, whilst the regular troops were employed in the completion of the fortifications, and
keeping the enemy in check so as to prevent them from insulting the convoys; but they
were homesick. All this I am now obliged to perform with the skeleton of the legion, as
the body is daily wasting away from the expiration of the enlistments of the soldiery.
Nor is it improbable that we shall yet have to fight for the protection of our convoys and
posts. It is therefore to be regretted that the bill in contemplation for the completion of
the legion, as reported by the committee of the House of Representatives, was not passed
into a law in the early part of last session of Congress.

The enclosed estimate will demonstrate the mistaken policy and bad economy of
substituting mounted volunteers in place of regular troops ; and unless effectual measures
are immediately adopted by both Houses for raising troops to garrison the Western
posts, we have fought, bled, and conquered, in vain; the fertile country we are now in

REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION OF GENERAL WAYNE. 211

possession of will again become a range to the hostile Aborigines of the West. who.
meeting with no barrier, the frontier inhabitants will fall an easy prey to a fierce and
savage enemy whose tender mercies are cruelty : and who will improve the opportunity
to desolate and lay waste all the settlements on the margin of the Ohio, and which they
will be able to effect with impunity, unless some speedy and proper measures are
adopted to re-engage the remnant of the legion. The present pay and scanty ration will
not induce the soldiery to continue in service after the period for which they are now
enlisted, and which will expire, almost in toto. between this and the beginning of May.

I had the honor to transmit you a copy of the deposition of a certain

[.A.ntoine Laselle] a Canadian prisoner, taken in the action of the 20th August [the
Battle of Fallen Timber]; his brother arrived at this place on the i::!th instant with a
flag [of truce] and three American prisoners which he redeemed from the Aborigines
with a view of liberating. Enclosed is his narrative given upon oath, by which you will
see that Governor Simcoe. Colonel M'Kee, and the famous Captain Brandt, are at this
moment tampering with the hostile chiefs, and will undoubtedly prevent them from
concluding a treaty of peace with the United States, if possible. I shall, however.

endeavor to counteract them through the means of [Antoine Lasalle]

who has a considerable influence with the principal hostile chiefs, and whose interests it
will eventually be to promote a permanent peace. But. in order to facilitate and effect
this desirable object, we ought to produce a conviction to them, as well as to the British
agents, that we are well prepared for war ; hence I have been induced to bestow much
labor upon two forts [Fort Defiance and Fort Wayne] of which the enclosed are
draughts* and I am free to pronounce them the most respectable now in the occupancy
of the United States, even in their present situation [condition] which is not quite
perfect as yet. The British, however, are not to learn that they may possibly be left
without garrisons ; they well know the term for which the veterans of the legion are
engaged, as well from our laws and proceedings of Congress as from our deserters, and
that no provision is yet made to supplv their places; circumstances that Mr. Simcoe
will not fail to impress most forcibly upon the minds of the .\borigines with whom he is
now in treaty ; and to hold up to them a flattering prospect of soon possessing those
posts, and their lost country, with ease and certainty.

I have thought it ray duty to mention those facts to you at this crisis, to the end that
Congress may be early and properly impressed with the critical situation of the Western
country-, so as to adopt measures for retaining the posts, and for the protection of the
frontier inhabitants, previouslv to the expiration of the term of service for which the
troops have been enlisted. I have the honor to be. Sec.

Anthony W.avne.
Major General Knox. Secretan.- of War.

An army of two thousand non-commissioned officers and privates
was recommended to be enlisted for three years. The general expense
of such army was estimated as follows, viz: Bounty to each soldier
ten dollars: each 'stand of arms' ten dollars: one suit clothing per
year thirty dollars: subsistence per man four dollars per month. Pav
per month : twelve sergeant-majors and quartermaster sergeants seven
dollars each: Eighty-four sergeants six dollars each; ninety-six cor-
porals live dollars each: and one thousand eight hundred and eight
privates each at three dollars per month.

'-■' The writer has been unable lo 6nd ihe plans of the Forts here mentioned, by his several inquiries
at the State and War Departments, and United States Library, at Washington.

218 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

The return of the army, opinions regarding questions in general,
and the opening of friendly negotiations with the Aborigines, are
announced in the following letter from General Wayne to the Secre-
tary, viz :

Head Quarters, Greenville 12 November, 1794.

Sir ; I have the honor to transmit you a duplicate of my letter of the ITth ultimo
from the Miami villages, and to acknowledge the receipt of a letter from Colonel Alex-
ander Hamilton of the 2.")th September, enclosing an extract of a letter from Mr. Jay
Minister Plenipotentiary from the United States at the court of London, dated the 12th
July, r7!)4 ; also a letter from Major Stagg of the 4th ultimo.

The enclosed copy of a correspondence between the contractor's agents, the
Quartermaster General and myself, will inform you of additional measures taken to
obtain supplies for the support of the respective posts, and the skeleton of the legion.
I have the honor to enclose copies of certain overtures and speeches from the Wyandots
settled at, and in the vicinity of, Sandusky, together with my answer ; what the result
may be is yet very problematical ; they have, however, left two hostages with me (one of
them a young chief) until the return of the flag that went from this place on the .^th
instant, and promised to be here again in the course of twenty days with an answer to
my propositions.

From the enclosed narrative of a half breed, and a brother to (whose

interest I have made it to be true and faithful to the United States) it would appear that
the savages are playing an artful game ; they have most certainly met Governor Simcoe,
Colonel M'Kee, and Captain Brandt, at the mouth of Detroit River, at the proposed
treaty of hostile Aborigines ; and, at the same time, sent a deputation to me with the
overtures already mentioned as coming from only part of one nation ; it is, however,
understood by all, that there shall be a temporary suspension of hostilities for one moon
say until the 22nd instant ; in fact it has been a continued suspension upon their own
part ever since the action of the 20th August, except a few light trifling predatory
parties ; it's true, we always moved superior to insult, which may account for this
apparent inactivity.

Permit me now to inform you that the skeleton of the legion arrived at this place on
the 2nd instant, in high health and spirits after an arduous and very fatiguing, but a
glorious, tour of ninety-seven days ; during which period we marched and countermarched
upwards of three hundred miles through the heart of an enemy's country, cutting a
wagon road the whole way, besides making and establishing those two very respectable
fortifications [Forts Defiance and Wayne] the draughts of which were enclosed in my
letter of the 17th ultimo. [The plans of the Forts, here referred to, cannot be found
in the War Department. They may have been in the British fire of 1814.]

,\s soon as circumstances will admit, the posts contemplated at Picquetown,
Loramie's stores, and at the old Tawa [Ottawa] towns at the head of navigation on
Au Glaise River* will be established for the reception, and as the depositories, for stores
and supplies by water carriage, which is now determined to be perfectly practicable in
proper seasons ; I am, therefore, decidedly of opinion that this route ought to be totally
abandoned and that adopted as the most economical, sure, and certain mode of supply-
ing those important posts, at Grand Glaise [Fort Defiance] and the Miami Villages '
[Fort Wayne] and to facilitate an effective operation towards the Detroit and Sandusky,
should that measure eventually be found necessary ; add to this that it would afford a
much better chain for the general protection of the frontiers, which, with a block house

* Probably al the site of Fort Amanda built in 1H12 at the north line of the present Auplaise
County. Ohio,

SAVAGES SUFFER AFTER BATTLE OF FALLEN TIMBER. 219

at the landing place on the Wabash [Little River] eight miles southwest of the post* at
the Miami Villages [Fort Wayne] would give us possession of all portages between the
heads of the navigable waters of the Gulfs of Mexico and St. Lawrence, and serve as a
barrier between the different tribes of Aborigines settled along the margins of the
rivers. [Here some words, or sentences, are lost] emptying into the creek, as mentioned
in the enclosed copy of instructions of the 22nd ultimo to Colonel Hamtramck.

But, sir, all this labor, and expense of blood and treasure, will be rendered abortive,
and of none effect, unless speedy and efficient measures are adopted by the National
Legislature to raise troops to garri-son those posts.

As I have already been full and explicit upon this subject, in my letter of the l/th
ultimo, I shall not intrude further upon your time and patience than to assure you of the

high esteem and regard with which I have the honor to be, &c.,

Anthony Wayne.
Major General Henry Knox, Secretary of War.

The autumn of 179-t, and the following winter, were times of great
suffering among the Aborigines of the Maumee River Basin. Their
crops being destro\ed by General Wayne's army, rendered them more
than ever dependent on the British who, not being prepared for so
great a task and, withal, quite fatigued already with their exactions
'did not half supply them'.t They were huddled along the Maumee
River at the mouth of Swan Creek where much sickness prevailed on
account of exposures, scant supplies, and want of sanitary regulations.
What few domestic animals they possessed also died or languished on
account of improper food and care and were eaten, even the dogs.
They became impatient, murmured at the failure of the British to pro-
tect and supply them according to promise, and lamented that they
did not make peace with the Americans in oyiposition to the British
influence.]!

They turned to the Americans who were more able and willing to
protect and to supply.il Communications from them were encouraged
by General Wayne and his officers: and they were received at first by
way of iiersons whose interests were enlisted by the General (the
brothers Antoine and Jacques Lasselle particularh') and whose names
were for a time suppressed. Later, some chiefs personally visited
Forts Defiance and Wayne, and General Wayne at Greenville on invi-
tation. Evidence now accumulated that some of the former appeals

* This blockhouse was probably not built, as no further mention of it is found.

t Narrative of John Brickell who was durinc this time with these Aborigines along the Maumee as
a captive of the Delawares— T/ie American Pioneer volume i, page 53.

f Canadian Archives, Letters of Oct. 22. 24, Nov. 2S, and Dec. 7, 1794; Feb. 24 and March 17, 27,
1795.

II See Canadian .Archives, Letter of George Ironside to Alexander M'Kee December 13, 1794, in
which is stated that the Aborigines as yet had felt only the weight of General Wayne's little linger, and
that he would surely destroy all the tribes if they did not turn to peace. M'Kee. in a letter of March
27. 1795, to Joseph Chew Secretary of the British Aborigine Office, chided the government for leaving to
shift for themselves " the poor Aborigines who have long fought for us and bled freely for us, which is no
bar to a peaceable accommodation with .\merica'.

220 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

to the Aborigines had been intercepted and wholly suppressed by white
people in employ of the British, or by them changed in interpretation
to suit British desires.

Meantime, the settlers at the frontiers of the southern States, in
conjunction with United States troops, were having much trouble in
allaying the hostility of the Cherokees, Creeks, and other southern
Aborigines who had been incited by their attendance at the general
councils held in 179"2-93 at the mouth of the Auglaise River and at the
foot of the lowest rapids of the Maumee, in accordance with the British
efforts 'to unite the American tribes' in their interest.

General Wayne's next report to the Secretary of War, then Tim-
othv Pickering, is as follows:

Head Quarters. Greenville 23rd December, 1794.

Sir '. I have the honor to inform you that the flag from the Wyandots of Sandusky,
after an absence of forty-two days, returned to this place on the evening of the 14th
instant.

The enclosed copies of letters and speeches* will best demonstrate the insidious part
recently taken by the British agents, Messrs. Simcoe, M'Kee, and Brandt, to stimulate
the savages to continue the war, who, being but too well acquainted with the near
approach of that period in which the legion will be dissolved, have artfully suggested a
suspension of hostilities until spring, in order to lull us into a state of security to prevent
the raising of troops, and to afford the .\borigines an opportunity to make their fall and
winter hunt unmolested.

In the interim, the British are vigilantly employed in strengthening and making
additions to their fortification at the foot of the rapids of the Miamies of the lake [Mau-
mee River] evidently with a view of convincing the Aborigines of their determination to
assist and protect them ; hence there is strong ground to conclude that Governor Simcoe
has not received any orders to the contrary, otherwise he would not presume to persevere
in those nefarious acts of hostility.

The Wyandots and other .\borigines, at and in the vicinity of the rapids of San-
dusky [River] are completely within our power, and their hunting grounds all within
striking distance ; hence their present solicitude for a suspension of hostilities.

It is, however, probable that ^ may now be seriously inclined for peace,

being the only surviving principal chief out of four belonging to the Wyandots of
Sandusky ; the three were killed in the action of the 20th August [Battle of Fallen
Timber] and he himself shot through the right elbow which has deprived him of the use
of that arm ; add to this his present candid information of opinion, which is corroborated

by , now with me, who has a little village of his own consisting of a few

Aborigine families settled at and well known to be friendly to the United States.

All those people are, or affect to be, in dread of the hostile Aborigines in the vicinity
of Detroit (who are under the immediate influence of the British agents) on account of

the part they have recently taken. says, that the present flag is sent

without the privity or consent of those tribes, and expresses some doubts of its safe
return should any of the hostile Aborigines meet it on its way home and discover the
object of its mission.

I shall endeavor to benefit by this real, or affected dread, and propose to take them
under the immediate protection of the United States, and build a fortification at the foot

* See American Stale Papers. Aborigine Atlairs volume i, page 54H et sequentia.

TRADING HOUSES AMONG ABORIGINES SUGGESTED. 227

of the rapids of Sandusky [River] as soon as the season and circumstances will permit;
this will serve as a criterion by which their sincerity may be tried, and [is] perfectly
consistent with the treaty of the !lth January, 1780.

But unless Congress has already, or will immediately adopt effectual measures to
raise troops to garrison this as well as the other posts already established, it would only
be a work of supererogation, as the whole must [otherwise] be abandoned by the middle
of May. I have, however, succeeded in dividing and distracting the counsels of the
hostile Aborigines, and hope through that means eventually to bring about a general
peace, or to compel the refractory to pass the Mississippi and to the northwest side of
the lakes.

The British agents have greatly the advantage in this business at present by having
it in their power to furnish the Aborigines with every necessary supply of arms, ammu-
nition, and clothing, in exchange for their skins and furs, which will always make the
savages dependent upon them until the United States establish trading houses in their
country, from which they can be supplied with equal facility, and at reasonable rates.

The country we acquired in the course of the late campaign, and the posts we now
occupy, are happily situate for this purpose and which, with the addition of a post at
Sandusky and one at the mouth of the Miamies of the lake [Maumee River] would
render the .Aborigines as dependent upon the ITnited States then, as they are now upon
the British.* If my recollection serves me, the President has more than once recom-
ended this measure to the serious attention of Congress ; and without its being adopted
we can never expect a permanent peace with, or fidelity from, the Aborigines.

Could I. with truth and propriety, pledge myself to the hostile tribes that this
measure would be adopted, and that they would with certainty be supplied in this way
in the course of the ensuing spring, as well as in the future, I am confident we should
draw them over to our interest, notwithstanding every effort of the British to prevent it :
because the inclemency of the winter season, the sterility of soil, and the scarcity of
game within the British territory, are all opposed to their removing to the north side of
the lakes; and certain I am that, had not Governor Simcoe held up to the Aborigines at
the late council the fond, but I trust idle, hope of compelling the Americans to aban-
don and relinquish to them all the posts and lands on the west side of the Ohio [River]
the principal part of the hostile tribes would either have accepted of the invitation to
treat, or have passed to the Spanish [west] side of the Mississippi in the course of the
fall and winter. Possibly they may yet do the one or the other, as I am informed that
their present dependent situation is far from pleasant ; nor have we much cause to en\'y
the British the pleasure and expense of supporting and clothing this numerous horde of
savages, thrown upon them by their own insidious conduct, and the fortuitous events
of war.

The following' e.xcerpts of letters, communicated by John W. Van
Cleve of Dayton, Ohio, to The American Pioneer 24th June, 1843, were
taken from Colonel John Francis Hamtramck's letter-book which re-
mained, after his death 11th .\pril, 1H03, among the papers of the
Detroit garrison until the surrender of Detroit by General William Hull
in 1812, when an officer of Ohio militia was permitted by the British to
take possession of it. Colonel Hamtramck is described as a small
Canadian Frenchman, but he had proved himself an intelligent, capable
and meritorious officer. His letters throw some interesting side-lights

'■" The surrender of the British Fort Miami to United States troops 11th July. 1796. under the Jay
Treaty, obviated the necessity for building a fort by the lower Maumee.

222 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

on the events of the times. The first were written from Fort Wayne to

General Wayne at Greenville, viz :

Fort Wayne December ."ith. 1704.

Sir: . It is with a great degree of mortification that I am obliged to inform your

excellency of the great propensity many of the soldiers have for larceny. I have flogged
them until I am tired. The economic allowance of one hundred lashes, allowed by
government, does not appear a sufficient inducement for a rascal to act the part of an
honest man. I have now a number in confinement and in irons for having stolen four
quarters of beef on the night of the 3rd instant. I could wish them to be tried by a
general court martial, in order to make an example of some of them. I shall keep them
confined until the pleasure of your excellency is known.

Fort Wayne December 20, 1704.
Sir; Yesterday a number of chiefs of the Chippeways, Ottawas, Socks [Sacs] and
Potawotamies arrived here with the two Lassells. It appears that the Shawanese, Del-
awares, and Miamies remain still under the influence of M'Kee ; but Lassell thinks that
they will be compelled to come into the measures of the other Aborigines. After the
chiefs have rested a day or two, I will send them to headquarters.

December 20, 1704.
Sir ; Since my letter to your excellency of the present date, two war-chiefs have
arrived from the Miami nation, and inform me that their nation will be here in a few
days, from whence they will proceed to Greenville. They also bring intelligence of the
remaining tribes of savages acceding to the prevalent wish for peace, and collecting for
the purpose the chiefs of their nations, who, it is expected, will make their appearance
at this post about the same time the Miamies may come forward.

Fort Wayne January 1."), 170.5.

Sir ; . . .^ number of chiefs and warriors of the Miamis arri\'ed at the garrison
on the I'ith instant. Having informed them that I could do nothing with them, and that
it was necessary for them to proceed to headquarters, finding it inconvenient for so
many to go, they selected five, who are going under charge of Lieutenant Massie, and
perhaps will be accompanied by some warriors. The one whose name is Jean Baptiste
Richardville, is half white and a village chief of the nation.

As you are well acquainted with the original cause of the war with the .\borigines,
I shall not say much upon it, except to observe that all the French traders, who were so
many machines to the British agents, can be bought, and M'Kee, being then destitute of
his satellites, will remain solus, with perhaps his few Shawanese, to make penance for
his past iniquities.

Since writing the foregoing, I have had a talk with the chiefs. I have shown them
the necessity of withdrawing themselves from the headquarters of corruption, and in-
vited them to come and take possession of their former habitations [across the Maumee
and St. Mary from Fort Wayne] which they have promised me to do. Richardville tells
me, that as soon as he returns he will go on the Salamonie [River] on [near] the head of
the Wabash, and there make a village. He has also promi.sed me to open the naviga-
tion of the Wabash to the flag of the United States. . .

February :ird, 170.").

Sir : Lieutenant Massey arrived on the .'ilst. The Aborigines also returned on

the 20th in high spirits and very much pleased with their reception [by you. General

Wayne] at head-quarters. They assure me that they will absolutely make a lasting

peace with the United States. . .

March 1, 170.i.

Sir: . . 1 have now with me about forty Aborigines on a visit. They are Pota-

THE WINNING OF THE SAVAGES TO PEACE. 22c5

wotamies, who live on Bear Creek [in the present Lenawee County, Michigan]. They
say that as they are making peace with us, they will expect us to give them some corn to
plant next spring. Indeed all the Aborigines who have been here have requested that
I would inform your excellency of their miserable situation, and that they expect every-
thing from you.

March ."), 179.").

Sir; . . A number of I'otawotamie .Aborigines arrived here yesterday from
Huron River. They informed me that they were sent by their nation at that place, and
by the Ottawas and Chippeways living on the same river, as also in the name of the
Chippeways living on the Saginaw River which empties into Lake Huron, in order to
join in the good intention of the other Aborigines, by estalilishing a permanent peace
with the United States. I informed them that I was not the first chief, and invited them
to go to Greenville ; to which they replied that it was rather a long journey, but from
the great desire they had to see The Wind (for they called you so) they would go. I
asked them for an explication of your name. They told me that on the 20th August
last, you were exactly like a hurricane, which drives and tears everything before it.
Mr. LeChauvre, a Frenchman, is a trader with them and has come as their interpreter.
Father Burke continues his exhortations. He assures the inhabitants that if any of
them should be .so destitute of every principle of honor and religion as to aid or advise
the .Aborigines to come to the Americans, they shall be anathematized. He is now a
commissary and issues corn to the Aborigines. Mr. LeChauvre informs me that Burke
is going, in the spring, to Michilimackinac. Of consequence we may easily judge of his
mission. He will, no doubt, try to stop the nations from coming in to the treaty. How-
would it do to take him prisoner? I think that it could be done very easily.

March 17, 17!»,i.
Sir : . . I had very great hopes that the man who deserted when on his post
would have been made an example of ; but weakness too often appears in the shape of
lenity, for he was only sentenced to receive one hundred lashes, to be branded, and
drummed out. This man, from his past conduct, was perfectly entitled to the
gallows. . .

March 27, 17'.r).

Sir ; . . Le Gris [Nag-oh-quang-ogh] the village chief of the Miami nation, and
one of the commanding trumps in M'Kee's game, has at last come in. He stood out for
a long time, but from a number of circumstances, too tedious to mention, that passed
between him and me by messengers, and with Lassell, he has surrendered and, I be-
lieve [him] fully converted. I have promised him a great deal of butter with his bread,
but your excellency very well knows that flies are not caught with gall or bitter, particu-
larly after having experienced for sixteen years the dulcet deceptions of the British.
He was four days with me, during which time I had an opportunity of examining him
with great attention. He is a sensible old fellow, and no ways ignorant of the cause of
the war, for which he blames the Americans, saying that they were too extra\'agant in
their demands in their first treaties; that the country they claimed by virtue of the
definitive treaty of 178:i was preposterous: that the king of Great Britain never had
claimed their land after the conquest of Canada, and far less ever attempted to take any
part of it without the consent of the Aborigines, and of consequence had no authority to
cede their country to the United States. I have spoken with him respecting the medi-
tated treaty of M'Kee in May next, and he very honestly told me that he had received
wampum and tobacco on that head, but that he would, on his return, send it back and
also send speeches to the different nations requesting them to adhere strongly to the
preliminaries between you and them, saying that they must be sensible how they had
been deluded by M'Kee, and entreating them at least to hear you first before they should

224 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

come to any other determination. He is also to keep a couple of men at the rapids [at
M'Kee's station near Fort Miami] in order to ascertain what is going on, and has prom-
ised me that as soon as his messengers return he will come himself and give me all the .
information.

April U), 17'.lo.

Sir : . . Le Gris is again with me. and tells me that the two first chiefs of the
Potawotamies of the St. Joseph [River] passed his camp the other day. from Detroit,
with four horses loaded with presents. These chiefs informed him that a speech from
lord Dorchester [Governor of Canada] had arrived at Detroit directed to all nations,
wherein he assures them of his friendship and of his readiness to support them in all
their distresses. He invites them to make peace with the United States, if they can do
it on honorable terms, and tells them that they will see him before the time of our
treaty. One would suppose that his lordship is coming up to Detroit to feel, himself,
the pulse of the Aborigines.

April 25, 1795.

Sir The Aborigines are truly starving, and say that we must support them, at
least until they have made corn, as it will not do for them to ask provision of the British
without remaining with them.

Fort Wayne June 17. 1795.

Sir : . . The Miamies go to Greenville tomorrow. I believe they are the last
that will pass this way. Enclosed is a letter from Major Hunt. I believe that M'Kee
is using every strategem to prevent the treaty, but the bayonet of the 20th of August last
[the Battle of Fallen Timber] embarrasses him. . . J- F. Hamtr.4Mck.

The diplomacy of General Wayne and his agents was successful
and, 1st January, 1795, he sent a message to the petitioning Wyandots
at Sandusky that the chiefs of the Chippewas, Ottawas, Sacs, Potta-
wotamis, and Miamis had arrived at Fort Wayne and would soon visit
him at Greenville in the interest of jjeace. The '1-^ih January he re-
ported to the Secretary of War that two preliminary articles of peace
had been signed by him and the sachems and war chiefs of the Chip-
pewas, Pottawotamis, Sacs, and Miamis. These preliminary articles
provided that hostilities should cease: that there should be a meeting
for council and treaty at Greenville, Ohio, on or about the 15th June,
1795; and that immediate information should be given to General
Wayne of all hostile movements that came to the knowledge of any of
the Aborigines; and the General was to reciprocate.

The Delawares soon visited Fort Defiance and exchanged prison-
ers to the number of nine, this being all of the Aborigines then held at
that place. John Brickell, from whom this information is obtained*
then fourteen years of age, had been a captive with the Delawares four
years and on this occasion keenly felt the want of another Aborigine
prisoner of war that he also, might be exchanged. In May, however,
the Delawares appeared across the Maumee from Fort Defiance and
discharged their guns in salute. The garrison of the Fort returned

* The American Pioneer 1842 volume i. page .M.

PRELIMINARIES TO THE GREAT TREATY. 225

the salute with a cannon shot for each State in the Union, then num-
bering fifteen. At this visit Brickell was surrendered to the garrison
with some sentiment on the part of the Atiorigines, and good fellow-
ship prevailed.*

The Treaty at Greenville.

Meantime ground was cleared at Greenville, an ample Council
House was built, a large quantity of clothing and other useful articles
were obtained for presents, and liountiful supplies received for the
feeding and entertainment of large numbers of iVborigines during the
summer.

About the 1st June a considerable number of Delaware, Ottawa,
Pottawotami and Eel River Aborigines began to arrive, and they were
well received. t Others arrived each day, and the general council was
opened June 16th with a goodly attendance. i\.fter smoking the
Calumet of Peace, an oath of accuracy and fidelity was subscribed to
by eight interpreters, and by Henry DeButts as Secretary. General
Waj'ne as presiding officer, stated the object of the council, exhibited
his commission received from President Washington, and put all
present in good humor liy his happy remarks, saying in closmg:
"The heavens are bright, the roads open; we will rest in peace and
love, and wait the arrival of our brothers [the tardy Aborigines who,
at similar times like sulking children, desired to be sent for with
special overtures]. In the interim we will have a little drink to wash
the dust from our throats. We will on this happy occasion be merry
without, however, passing the bounds of temperance and sobriety."
The council was then adjourned until the arrival of the other chiefs.

Forty Pottawotamis arrived June 17th and were received by the
General. Chief Buck-on-ge-he-las with a party of Delawares, and Asi-
me-the with Pottawotamis arrived June 21st and were received at the
Council House, and June 2;-Jrd Le Gris, Little Turtle and seventeen
other Miamis arrived. The 2r)th some Chijijiewas arrived : and other
Chippewas with Pottawotamis caine the next day.

The third day of July General Wayne called all the Aborigines to-
gether and explained to them why Americans celebrated the Fourth of
July, adding :

To morrow we shall for the twentieth time salute the annual return of this happy
anniversary, rendered still more dear by the brotherly union of the American and red
people ; tomorrow all the people within these lines will rejoice ; you, my brothers, shall
also rejoice in your respective encampments. I called you together to explain these
matters to you : do not, therefore, be alarmed at the report of our big guns ; they will do

* See American Captives among the Ohio Aborigines, by Charles E. Slocum.
I American State Papers. Aborii;ine Attairs volume i, paae ,*J64.

226 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

no harm ; they will be the harbingers of peace and gladness, and their roar will ascend into
the heavens. The flag of the United States, and the colors of this legion, shall be given
to the wind to be fanned by its gentlest breeze in honor of the birth-day of American
freedom. I will now shew you our colors that you may know them to-morrow. Formerly
they were displayed as ensigns of war and battle ; now they will be exhibited as emblems
of peace and happiness. This eagle which you now see, holds close his bunch of arrows
whilst he seems to stretch forth, as a more valuable ofiering, the inestimable branch of
peace. The Great Spirit seems disposed to incline us all to repose for the future under
its grateful shade and wisely enjoy the blessings which attend it.

The 4th July twenty-four additional Ottawas came to swell the
numbers of other tribes that had been arriving almost daily. Others
continued to come, and all were received with expressions of pleasure.
A sachem arriving with a hand of Chippewas July 18th, said to General
Wayne ' We would have come in greater numbers but for Brant's en-
deavors to prevent us' in interest of the British.

- With great thoughtfulness and circumspection General Wayne drew
up the treaty, and he impressed all present with his cheerful yet serious
and dignified demeanor to a careful consideration and assent to each of
its provisions, separately.

Little Turtle was slow in becoming possessed with the spirit of the
meeting, but gradually became one of the principal participators,
making ten addresses in representing the Miamis and allied tribes of
Weas, Piankeshaws, Kaskaskias and Kickapoos. He had not been in
favor of the former treaties, knew nothing about them because he was
not present at their ratification by his young men who were seduced to
this action by the other tribes. Little Turtle did not want to wholly
surrender the portage between the head of the Maumee and Little River
on account of the revenue derived therefrom, sa\ing . . That
place has brought to us in the course of one day the amount of one
hundred dollars. Let us both own this place and enjoy in common the
advantages it affords.' . . But this could not be granted to him on
accountof the Ordinances of 1786-87 which declared portages free public
ways. The chiefs generally and fully expressed their views as favorable
to the former treaties, and to this one yet more liberal to the Americans,
attributing their hostile acts, and their delays in answering the appeals
for peace, to British influences.

The 9th August, 1795, General Wayne wrote to the Secretary of
War that . . "it is with infinite pleasure I now inform you that a
treaty of peace between the United States of America and all the late
hostile tribes of Aborigines Northwest of the Ohio, was unamimously
and volimtarily agreed to, and cheerfully signed, by all the sachems and
war chiefs of the respective nations on the .Srd, and exchanged on the 7th,
instant." . . The full text of this most important Treaty is here
reproduced, viz:

THE MOST IMPORTANT TREATY AT GREENVILLE. 227

A Treaty of Peace between the United States of America and the Tribes of
Aborigines called the Wyandots. Delawares. Shawnees. Ottawas. Ghippewas. Potta-
wotamies. Miamis. Eel Rivers. Weas [Ouis or Ouiotenons]. Kicl<apoos. Pianl<eshaws
and Kasltaskias :

To put an end to a destructive war, to settle all controversies, and to restore har-
mony and friendly intercourse between the said United States and Aborigine tribes,
Anthony Wayne. Major-General. commanding the Army of the United States, and sole
Commissioner for the purposes above mentioned ; and the said tribes of Aborigines, by
their sachems, chiefs, and warriors, met together at Greenville, the Head Quarters of
said Army, have agreed on the following articles, which, when ratified by the President,
with the advice and consent of the Senate of the United States, shall be binding on them
and the said Aborigine tribes:

Article I. Henceforth all hostilities shall cease: peace is hereby established, and
shall be perpetual : and friendly intercourse shall take place between the said United
States and Aborigine tribes.

Art. 2. All prisoners shall, on both sides, be restored. The Aborigines, prisoners
to the United States, shall be immediately set at liberty. The people of the United
States still remaining prisoners among the Aborigines, shall be delivered up within
ninety days from the date hereof, to the General or Commanding Officer at Greenville.
Fort Wayne, or Fort Defiance: and ten chiefs of the said tribes shall remain at Green-
ville as hostages until the delivery of the prisoners shall be effected.

Art. 3. The General Boundary Line between the lands of the United States and
the lands of the said Aborigine tribes, shall begin at the mouth of Cuyahoga River and
run thence up the same to the portage between that and the Tuscarawas branch of the
Muskingum: thence, down that branch to the crossing place above Fort Lawrence
[Laurens] ; thence, westerly to a fork of that branch of the great Miami River, running
into the Ohio, at or near which fork stood Loramie's store, and where commences the
portage between the Miami of the Ohio and the St. Mary River which is a branch of
the Miami [the Maumee River] which runs into Lake Erie : thence, a westerly course to
Fort Recovery which stands on a branch of the Wabash ; thence, southwesterly in a
direct line to the Ohio, so as to intersect that river opposite the mouth of Kentucky or
Cuttawa River. .And, in consideration of the peace now established, of the goods
formerly received from the United States, of those now to be delivered, and of the yearly
delivery of goods now stipulated to be made hereafter, and to indemnify the United
States for the injuries and expenses thev have sustained during the war. the said Abo-
rigine tribes do hereby cede and relinquish, forever, all their claims to the lands lying
eastwardly and southwardly of the General Boundary Line now described, and these
lands, or any part of them, shall never hereafter be made a cause or pretense, on the
part of said tribes, or any of them, of war or injury to the United States, or any of the
people thereof.

And for the same considerations, and as an evidence of the returning friendship of
the said Aborigine tribes, of their confidence in the United States, and desire to provide
for their accommodation, and for that convenient intercourse which will be beneficial to
both parties, the said Aborigine tribes do also cede to the United States the following
pieces of land, to wit; 1. One piece of land six miles square at or near Loramie's .
store, above mentioned. 2. One piece two miles square at the head of the navigable
water or landing on the St. Mary River near Girty town [site of the present City of St.
Marys]. '.'•. One piece six miles square at the head of the navigable water of the Auglaise
River [probably near the present north line of .Auglaise County]. 4. One piece
six miles square at the confluence of the Auglaise and Miami [Maumee] Rivers where
Fort Defiance now stands. .">. One piece six miles square at or riear the confluence of

228 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

the Rivers St. Mary and St. Joseph where Fort Wayne now stands, or near it. 6. One
piece two miles square on the Wabash [Little] River at the end of the portage from the
Miami of the Lake [Maumee], and about eight miles westward from Fort Wayne.
7. One piece six miles square at the Ouiotanon or old Wea [Ouia] towns on the
Wabash River. 8. One piece twelve miles square at the British fort, on the Miami of
the lake [Maumee] at the foot of the Rapids. !•. One piece six miles square at the
mouth of the said river, where it empties into the lake. 10. One piece six miles square
upon Sandusky Lake [Bay] where a fort formerly stood. 11. One piece two miles
square at the lower rapids of Sandusky River. 12. The post of Detroit and all the
lands to the north, the west, and the south of it, of which the Aborigine title has been
extinguished by gifts or grants to the French or English governments ; and so much
more land, to be annexed to the district of Detroit as shall be comprehended between the
River Rosine [Raisin] on the south. Lake St. Clair on the north, and a line the general
course whereof shall be six miles distant from the west end of Lake Erie and Detroit
River. Ki. The post of Michilimackinac and all the land on the island on which that
post stands, and the main land adjacent of which the Aborigine title has been extin-
guished by gifts or grants to the French or English governments; and a piece on the main
to the north of the island to measure six miles on Lake Huron, or the strait between
Lakes Huron and Michigan and to extend three miles back from the water of the lake or
strait ; and, also, the Island De Bois Blanc, being an extra and voluntary gift of the
Chippewa nation. 14. One piece of land six miles square at the mouth of Chicago
River emptying into the southwest end of Lake Michigan where a fort formerly stood.
15. One piece twelve miles square at or near the mouth of the Illinois River emptying
into the Mississippi. 10. One piece six miles square at the old Peorias fort and village
near the south end of the Illinois Lake, on said Illinois River. And whenever the
United States shall think proper to survey and mark the boundaries of the lands hereby
ceded to them, they shall give timely notice thereof to the said tribes of Aborigines that
they may appoint some of their wise chiefs to attend and see that the lines are run
according to the terms of this Treaty. And the said Aborigine tribes will allow to the
people of the United States a free passage by land and by water, as one and the other
shall be found convenient, through their country, along the chain of posts hereinbefore
mentioned , that is to say, from the commencement of the portage aforesaid, at or near
Loramie's store, thence along said portage to the St. Mary and down the same to Fort
Wayne, and then down the Miami [Maumee] to Lake Erie; again, from the commence-
ment of the portage at or near Loramie's store along the portage ; from thence to the
River Auglaise, and down the same to its junction with the Miami [Maumee] at Fort
Defiance ; again, from the commencement of the portage aforesaid to Sandusky River,
and down the same to Sandusky Bay and Lake Erie ; and from Sandusky to the post
which shall be taken at or near the Foot of the Rapids of the Miami of the Lake
[Maumee] ; and from thence to Detroit. Again, from the mouth of the Chicago to the
commencement of the portage between that river and the Illinois, and down the Illinois
River to the Mississippi ; also, from Fort Wayne along the portage aforesaid, which
leads to the Wabash, and then down the Wabash to the Ohio. .And the said Aborigine
tribes will, also, allow to the people of the United States the free use of the harbors and
mouths of rivers along the lakes adjoining the Aborigine lands, for sheltering vessels and
boats, and liberty to land their cargoes where necessary for their safety.

Art. 4. In consideration of the peace now established, and of the cessions and
relinquishments of lands made in the preceding Article by the said tribes of Aborigines,
and to manifest the liberality of the United States, as the great means of rendering this
peace strong and perpetual, the United States relinquish their claims to all other Abo-
rigine lands northward of the River Ohio, eastward of the Mississippi, and westward and
southward of the Great Lakes, and the waters uniting them, according to the boundary

TEXT OF TREATY AT GREENVILLE IN 1795. 229

line agreed on by the United States and the King of Great Britain, in the treaty of
peace made between them in the year 178.'!. But. from this relinquishment by the
United States, the following tracts of land are explicitly excepted. 1st. The tract of
one hundred and fifty thousand acres near the rapids of the River Ohio, which has been
assigned to General [George Rogers] Clark for the use of himself and his warriors.
2d. The post of St. Vincennes on the River Wabash, and the lands adjacent of which
the Aborigine title has been extinguished, iid. The lands at all other places in poss-
ession of the French people and other white settlers among them of which the Aborigine
title has been extinguished, as mentioned in the .'id Article ; and 4th, The post of Fort
Massac towards the mouth of the Ohio. To which several parcels of land, so excepted,
the said tribes relinquish all the title and claim which they or any of them may have.

And for the same considerations, and with the same views as above mentioned, the
United States now deliver to the said Aborigine tribes a quantity of goods to the value of
twenty thousand dollars, the receipt whereof they do hereby acknowledge ; and hence-
forward, every year forever, the United States will deliver at some convenient place
northward of the River Ohio, like useful goods, suited to the circumstances of the
Aborigines, of the value of nine thousand five hundred dollars ; reckoning that value at
the first cost of the goods in the city or place in the United States where they shall be
procured. The tribes to which those goods are to be annually delivered, and the pro-
portions in which they are to be delivered, are the following ;

1st. To the Wyandots. the amount of one thousand dollars. '2nd. To the Dela-
awares. the amount of one thousand dollars. :.ird. To the Shawanese. the amount of
one thousand dollars. 4th. To the Miamies. the amount of one thousand dollars.
•5th. To the Ottawas, the amount of one thousand dollars, (ith. To the Chippewas,
the amount of one thousand dollars. 7th. To the Pottawatamies. the amount of one
thousand dollars. 8th. And to the Kickapoo, Wea. Eel River, Piankeshaw, and
Kaskaskia, tribes, the amount of five hundred dollars each.

Provided, that if either of the said tribes shall, hereafter, at an annual delivery of
their share of the goods aforesaid, desire that a part of their annuity should be furnished
in domestic animals, implements of husbandry, and other utensils convenient for them,
and in compensation to useful artificers who may reside with or near them, and be
employed for their benefit, the same shall, at the subsequent annual deliveries be
furnished accordingly.

Art. .5. To prevent any misunderstanding about the Aborigine lands relinquished
by the United States in the Fourth Article, it is now explicitly declared that the mean-
ing of that relinquishment is this : The Aborigine tribes who have a right to those
lands are quietly to enjoy them, hunting, planting, and dwelling thereon, so long as they
please, without any molestation from the United States; but when those tribes, or any
of them, shall be disposed to sell their lands, or any part of them, they are to be sold
only to the United States; and until such sale the United States will protect all the said
Aborigine tribes in the quiet enjovment of their lands against all citizens of the United
States, and against all other white persons who intrude upon the same. And the said
Aborigine tribes again acknowledge themselves to be under the protection of the United
States, and no other Power whatever.

Art. (i. If any citizen of the United States, or any other white person or persons,
shall presume to settle upon the lands now relinquished by the United States, such
citizen or other person shall be out of the protection of the United States ; and the
Aborigine tribe on whose land the settlement shall be made may drive off the settler, or
punish him in such manner as they shall think fit ; and because such settlements made
without the consent of the United States will be injurious to them, as well as to the
Aborigines, the United States shall be at liberty to break them up, and remove and

230 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

punish the settlers as they shall think proper, and so effect that protection of the Abo-
rigine lands herein before stipulated.

Art. 7. The said tribes of Aborigines, parties to this treaty, shall be at liberty to
hunt within the territory and lands which they have now ceded to the United States,
without hindrance or molestation, so long as they demean themselves peaceably, and
offer no injury to the people of the United States.

Art. 8. Trade shall be opened with the said Aborigine tribes ; and they do hereby
respectively engage to afford protection to such persons, with their property, as shall
be duly licensed to reside among them for the purpose of trade, and to their agents and
servants ; but no person shall be permitted to reside at any of their towns or hunting
camps as a trader, who is not furnished with a license for that purpose, under the hand
and seal of the Superintendent of the Department Northwest of the Ohio, or such other
person as the President of the United States shall authorize to grant such licenses, to the
end that the said Aborigines may not be imposed on in their trade. And if any licensed
trader shall abuse his privilege by unfair dealing, upon complaint and proof thereof, his
license shall be taken from him, and he shall be further punished according to the laws
of the United States. And if any person shall intrude himself as a trader without such
licence, the said Aborigines shall take and bring him before the Superintendent or his
Deputy, to be dealt with according to law. And, to prevent impositions by forged licences,
the said ,\borigines shall, at least once a year, give information to the Superintendent, or
his Deputies, of the names of the traders residing among them.

Art. 9. Lest the firm peace and friendship now established should be interrupted
by the misconduct of individuals, the United States and the said .aborigine tribes agree
that, for injuries done by individuals on either side, no private revenge or retaliation
shall take place; but, instead thereof, complaint shall be made by the party injured to
the other; by the said Aborigine tribes, or any of them, to the President of the
United States, or the Superintendent by him appointed ; and by the Superintendent, or
other person appointed by the President, to the principal Chiefs of the said .\borigine
tribes, or of the tribe to which the offender belongs ; and such prudent measures shall
then be pursued as shall be necessary to preserve the said peace and friendship
unbroken, until the Legislature (or great council) of the United States shall make other
equitable provision in the case to the .satisfaction of both parties. Should any Aborigine
tribes meditate a war against the United States or either of them, and the same shall
come to the knowledge of the before mentioned tribes, or either of them, they do hereby
engage to give immediate notice thereof to the General, or officer commanding the
troops of the United States at the nearest post. And should any tribe with hostile
intentions against the United States, or either of them, attempt to pass through their
country, they will endeavor to prevent the same, and in like manner give information of
such attempt to the General, or officer commanding, as soon as possible, that all causes
of mistrust and suspicion may be avoided between them and the United States. In like
manner the United States shall give notice to the said .Aborigine tribes of any harm that
may be meditated against them, or either of them, that shall come to their knowledge,
and do all in their power to hinder and prevent the same, that the friendship between
them may be uninterrupted.

Art. 10. All other treaties heretofore made between the United States and the
said Aborigine tribes, or any of them, since the treaty of 1783 between the United States
and Great Britain, that come within the purview of this treaty, shall henceforth cease,
and become void.

In testimony whereof, the said Anthony Wayne, and the Sachems and War Chiefs
of the before mentioned nations and tribes of Aborigines, have hereunto set their hands
and affixed their seals.

SIGNATURES TO THE TREATY AT GREENVILLE. 251

Done at Greenville, in the Territory of the United States Northwest of the River
Ohio, on the third day of August, One thousand seven hundred and ninety-five.

[Signed] Antv Wayne [L. S.]

-tem^

JiLety ^ y

)> V

^y * 1

signatures to the Treaty at Greenville, Ohio. 1795. The
names were written by the Secretary and each Aborigine
chief made a mark or imitation of an animal opposite a
seal. This and the two following plates are copied from
the Ohio Archaeological and Historical Quarterly, vol-
ume xii, for which publication they were taken from the
original document at Washington.

WVANDOTS.

Tarhe. or Crane.

J. Williams, Jun.

Teyyaghtaw.

Haroenyon or Half King's Son.

Tehaavvtorens.

Awmeyeeray.

Stayetah.

Shateyyaronyah or Leather Lips.

Daughshuttayah.

Shaawrunthe.

Delawares.
Tetabokshke or Grand Glaise King.
Lemantanquis or Black King.
Wabatthoe.

Maghpiway or Red Feather.

Kikthawenund or Anderson.

Bukongehelas.

Peekeelund.

Wellebawkeelund.

Peekeetelemund or Thomas Adams.

Kishkopekund or Capt. Buffalo.

Amenahehan or Capt. Crow.

Queshawksey or George Washington.

Weywinquis or Billy Siscomb.

Moses.

Shawnees.

Misquacoonacaw or Red Pole.

Cutthewekasaw or Black Hoof.

Kaysewaesekah.

Weythapamattha.

Nianymseka.

Waytheah or Long Shanks.

Weyapiersenwaw or Blue Jacket.

Nequetaughaw.

Hahgooseecaw or Capt. Reed.

232

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

•/Yol. rvoMj-rmJ /fn__\ I \

( Jttawa.

Chegonickska, an Ottawa from Sandusky

Pattauatimas of the River
St. Joseph.

Thupenebu.

Nawac, tor himself and brother Etsi-
methe.

Nenanseka.

Keesass or Sun.

Kabamasaw, for himself and brother
Chisaugan.

Sugganunk.

Wapmeme or White Pigeon.

Wacheness. for himself and brother
Pedagoshok.

Wabshicawnaw.

LaChasse.

Meshegethenogh. for himself and broth-
er Wawasek.

Hingoswash.

Anewasaw.

Nawbudgh.

Missenogomaw.
Waweegshe.
Thawme or Le Blanc.
Geeque, for himself and brother She-
winse.

Pattawatimes of Huron.
Okia.
Chamung.
Segagewan.
Nanawme, for himself and brother

A. Gin.
Marchand.
Wenameac.

MlAMIS.

Nagohquangogh or Le Gris.
Meshekunnoghquoh or Little Turtle.

Ottawas.
Augooshaway.
Keenoshameek.
La Malice.
Machiwetah.
Thowonavva.
Secaw.

Chippewas.

Mashipinashiwish or Bad Bird.

Nahshogashe from Lake Superior.

Kathawasung.

Masass.

Nemekass or Little Thunder.

Peshawkay or Young Ox.

Nanguey.

Meenedohgeesogh.

Peewanshemenogh.

Weymegwas.

Peewanshemenogh.

Weymegwas.

Gobmatick.

MiAMis AND Eel Rivers.
Peejeewa or Richard Villa.
Cochkepoghtogh.

Eel River Tribe.
Shamekunnesa or Soldier.

MlAMIS.

Wapamangwa or White Loon.
Weas for Themselves and Pianke-

SHAWS.

Amacunsa or Little Bea\'er.
Acoolatha or Little Fox.
Francis.

WITNESSES AND INTERPRETERS AT GREENVILLE. 253

KiCKAPOOS AND KaSKASKIAS. DeLAWARES OF SaNDUSKY.

Keeawhah. Hawkinpumisha.

Nemighka or Josey Renard. Peyamawksey.

Paikeekanogh. Reyntueco of the Six Nations living at Sandusky.

In presence of (the word 'goods' in the l!th Hne of the lird article; the word 'before'
in the 20th line of the :ird article ; the words ' five hundred ' in the 10th line of the 4th
article, and the word ' Piankeshaw ' in the 1 4th line of the 4th article, being first interlined) :

H. DeButts first A. D. C. and Sec'y to Major General Wayne. Wm. H. Harrison
Aide-de-camp to Major General Wayne. T. Lewis Aide-de-camp to Major General Wayne.
James O'Hara Quarter Master General. John Mills Major of Infantry and Adjutant
General. Caleb Swan L. M. T. U. S. Geo. Cemter Lieut. Artillery U. S. A. N. Sr.
LaFontaine. Grant Lasselle. H. Lasselle. Wm. Geo. Pean. Jun. David Jones Chap-
lain U. S. L[egion]. Louis Beaufait. R. Echambre. L. Copen U. S. L[egion]. Baties
Coutien. S. Navarre — [Signed as witnesses; also the sworn interpreters named below].

The number of Aborifj'iiies, and of tribes and l)ands, credited as at
the Treaty of Greenville are as follows, viz:

Tribes. Number. Sworn Interpreters.

Wyandots, 180 Isaac Zane and Abraham Williams.

Delawares, ^Wl Cabot Wilson.

Shawnees, 14M Jacques Lasselle and Christopher Miller.
Ottawas, 4') i

Chippewas, 4(i ■ M. Morans and Bt. Sans Crainte.

Pottawotamis, 240 1
Miamis and Eel Rivers, 7.i j

Weas and Piankeshaws, 12 - William Wells.

Kickapoos and Kaskaskias, 10 )

Total, 12, li:!0

A number of hostile Cherokees who were lingering' around the
head waters of the Scioto River did not accept the invitations to the
council at Greenville and, 3rd August, 1795, General Wayne notified
them of the Treaty with all the other tribes and, also, of the treat\' re-
cently effected with their brethren of the South. He also notified them to
immediately accept his last invitation to corne to Greenville and enter
into articles of peace or they would stand alone and unprotected. Some
of them accompained Captain Longhair, a principal Cherokee chief and
General Wayne's messenger, to Greenville and soon thereafter
accomjiained the chief to the South. The others promised to hunt
quietly along the Scioto until their crops ripened when they would re-
turn to their brethren in the South to remain permanently with them.

The Aborigines lingered at Greenville about one week after the
completion of the Treaty, explaining some of the late thieving raids of
their young men which they promised to correct ; in exchanging congrat-
ulations -. and in receiving the medals, and the twenty thousand dollars
worth of goods mentioned in the Treaty. In Council the 10th August,
General Wayne, thinking it time to draw the meetings to a close, gave
his admirable farewell address, viz :

234 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

Children ; All you nations listen. By the seventh article of this treaty all the
lands now ceded to the United States are free for all the tribes now present to hunt
upon, so long as they continue to be peaceable, and do no injury to the people
thereof. It is, therefore, the common interest of you all to prevent any mischief being
done upon those hunting grounds. Those people who have committed the late outrage on
our peaceable inhabitants, had been hunting on those grounds and, after finishing their
hunt, proceeded to the commission of the bad actions of which I have complained.
These practices, for the reasons I have already given you, must have an immediate end.

The Red Pole, [a Shawnee Chief] has behaved like a candid, honest man, in
acknowledging the errors of his people, and in promising to restrain them immediately.
He has done more ; he has offered to leave his own father as a hostage until he can
inform me of his having called them home ; but I will not separate him from his old
father; I will depend upon his honor for the performance of his promise. (Here he
gave a string of white wampum to Red Pole. )

All you, my children, listen to me. The great business of peace, so long and
ardently wished for by your great and good father. General Washington and the Fifteen
Fires [the number of States then in the Union] and, I am sure, by every good man
among you, being now accomplished, nothing remains but to give you a few words of
advice from a father anxious for the peace and happiness of his children. I^et me
earnestly exhort you to restrain your young people from injuring, in any degree, the
people of the United States. Impress upon their minds the spirit and meaning of the
treaty now before us. Convince them how much their future welfare will depend upon
their faithful and strict observance of it. Restore to me as soon as possible all my flesh
and blood which may be among you, without distinction or exception, and receive now
from my hands the ten hostages stipulated by the second article to be left with me as a
security for their delivery. This unequivocal proof of the confidence that I place in
your honor, and in the solemn promises you have made me, must satisfy you of my full
persuasion of your sincerity. Send those ten young men to collect your prisoners ; let
them bring them to me, and they shall be well rewarded for their trouble. I have here
a particular account of the number remaining among you. and shall know them when
they are all restored.

I now fervently pray to the Great Spirit that the peace now established may be
permanent, and that it may hold us together, in the bonds of friendship until time shall
be no more. 1 also pray that the Great Spirit above may enlighten your minds, and
open your eyes to your true happiness ; that your children may learn to cultivate the
earth, and enjoy the fruits of peace and industry. (Here he gave a string of white
wampum. )

As it is probable, my children, that we shall not soon meet again in public council, I
take this opportunity of bidding you all an aftectionate farewell, and of wishing ^-ou a
safe and happy return to your respective homes and families. (Gave white string wampum.)

Each of the more prominent chiefs desired to have the last word
with General Wayne who had pleased them exceedingly in his words,
in his conduct of the business in hand, and in his entertainment of them.
Buck-on-ge-he-las, the great war chief of the Delawares, seemed to voice
the sentiments of all when he said :

Your children all well understand the sense of the Treaty which is now concluded.
We experience daily proofs of your increasing kindness. I hope we may all have sense
enough to enjoy our dawning happiness. Many of your people are yet among us. I
trust they will be immediately restored. Last winter our King [Te-ta-boksh-ke] came
forward to you with two [captives] and when he returned with your speech to us, we

FAVORABLE CLOSING OF TREATY AT GREENVILLE. 255

immediately prepared to come forward with the remainder, which we delivered at Fort
Defiance.* All who know me. know me to be a man and a warrior, and I now declare
that I will for the future be as true and steady a friend to the United States as I have
heretofore been an active enemv. We have one bad man among us who. a few days
ago. stole three of your horses; two of them shall this day be returned to you. and 1
hope I shall be able to prevent that youns man from doing any more mischief to our
Father the Fifteen Fires [States].

The 9th Septemlit-r between sixty and seventy refractory and hostile
Shawnee warriors, led by Chief Puck-se-kaw or Jumper, arrived at
Greenville and wished to be counted in the Treaty. From the efforts
of Chief Blue Jacket they brought and surrendered four American
captives three of whom were taken in Randolph County, Virginia, the
13th July. These being the last of the malcontents, General Wayne
turned his attention to matters best calculated to make the Treaty, and
peace, permament.

*It was the Delawares. or Lenni Lenapes, who took captive the child Frances Slocum 2nd
November. 1778. followinj; the horrible Wyomine Massacre. She was not restored : nor was she dis-
covered to her surviving relatives until after a residence with the Delawares and Miamis for about tifty-
nine years. This was in many particulars the most remarkable captivity on record, and the one best
illustrating the influence of heredity over environment. See Miner's. Stone's. Chapman's, and Peck's
History of Wyoming : The Pennsylvania Archives : Lossing's Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution :
The Story of the Lost Sister hy Rev. John Todd ; The History oj the Slocums in America volumes i and
ii. by Dr. Charles E. Slocum ; and The Biography of Frances Slocum by Johu F. Meginness.

SECTION OF BELT OF WAMPUM

236 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

CHAPTER IX.

Treaties — The Aborigines — Organizations for Civil Govern-
ment— Renewal of Hostilites.
1795 TO 1812.

The United States concluded a treaty of friendship, of limits, and
of navigation with Spain October 27, 1795. This treaty further allayed
for a time the feelin^i of anxiety and unrest with some and of ambition
with others, and contributed to the strengthening of the liond of union
between the West and the East. This was also a year of much migra-
tion from the East, with increase of settlements along the rivers of
southern Ohio, other southern parts of the Northwest Territory, and
south of the Ohio River.

Colonel Hamtramck's letters to General Wayne during the winter of
1795-96 describe the temper of the Aborigines, and their disinclination
to supply the wants of the younger and older members of the tribe, viz:

Fort Waynk December l.'i, IT!*.").
Sir : . . The issues to the Aborigines would be very inconsiderable this winter if
it was not for about ninety old women and children with some very old men, who live
near us and have no other mode of subsisting but by the garrison. I have repeatedly
tried to get clear of them, but without success.

January l.'i, 1790.

Sir. . . About ninety old women and children have been victualled by the
garrison. I have, yesterday, given them five days' provisions and told them it was the
last they should have until spring. I was obliged to do so because, from calculation, I
have no more flour than will last me until spring. But, sir, if other supplies could be
got by land, I consider it politic to teed these poor creatures, who will suffer very much
for want of subsistence.

The military stations in and near this Basin 3rd February, 1796,
were: Forts Defiance, Wayne, Miami (the British fort by the lower
Maumee, which the Americans expected would soon be surrendered )
and Sanduskv, all of which, excepting Miami, aggregated a force of one
battalion of infantry, one company of riflemen, and one company of
artillery at Fort Wayne which fort was the headquarters for these
posts; also Forts Adams, Recovery, Jefferson, Loramie, Head of
the Auglaise, and Greenville the headquarters of this group, with an
aggregate of one battalion of infantry and one company of riflemen
divided among them. The forts recommended March 29, 1796, to be
maintained were: Defiance, Wayne, Adams, Recovery, Head of
Auglaise, Miami and Michilimackinac, each by a garrison of fiftv-six
men; and Detroit with one hundred and twelve men — Detroit and
Miami being yet in possession of the British.*

*See American State Papers. Military Atlairs volume ii, pages 113. 115.

BRITISH AGAIN COUNCILLING WITH THE SAVAGES. 257

In January, 1796, General Wayne visited the seat of the general

Government, probably to give opinion regarding the British forts in

American territory. Great courtesy and deference were given him in

Philadelphia and his native County of Chester near-by. He placed

General James Wilkinson in charge of the Northwestern Army during

his absence with headquarters at Greenville, and it was to him that the

following letters of the series of Colonel Hamtramck were addressed,

viz :

Fort Wayne February 10, 179(1.

Sir : . . Sometime ago I wrote you that I had refused provisions to a number of
old men, women, and children of the Delaware nation. But I have since been compelled
to give to them or see them die. It was impossible to refuse,

March 28, 1 TOfi.

Sir : , . I am out of wampum. I will be much obliged to you to send me some,
for speaking to an Aborigine without it is like consulting a lawyer without a fee.*

The British agents again succeeded in arousing dissatisfaction
among some of the Aborigines, and a council was called in the interest
of the British for June, 1796, near their Fort Miami. To counteract
these influences General Wilkinson invited some of the chiefs to visit
him and, later. Colonel Hamtramck passed down the Maumee River
with a detachment of troops for the purpose of being near those Abo-
rigines attending the council. The parts of his letters to General
Wilkinson regarding these movements, are here excerpted:

.\prii ,1, nnc.

Sir : . . Little Turtle [war-chief of the Miamis] arrived yesterday, to whom I
delivered your message. His answer was, to present his compliments to you, that he
was very glad of the invitation, as he wished very much to see General Wilkinson, but it
is impossible for him to go to Green\'ille at present, as he had ordered all his voung men
to repair to a rendezvous in order, when assembled, to choose a place for their perma-

* Wampum to the Aborigines served the purpose of money, and far more than money. It was not
only a standard of value and a medium of exchange, but it was worn as an ornament and a badge of
wealth, and of position. It was also employed as symbols of various sentiments — as an invitation to join
in war, and as emblems of various sentiments of peace and good will in councils. Originally it was of
any bright, hard and smooth object that could be fastened to the ears, nose, neck, waist, arms or lower
limbs. It was also formed from Mollusk shells — from the larger clam shells of the rivers, and from shells
thrown upon the shore by the waves of tlie lakes, and the salt sea. The shells were broken into small
pieces which were drilled by pieces of flint, wood and sand, and shaped and smoothed usually into
cylinders one-eighth inch or more in diameter, and one-fourth to a half inch or more in length, by rubbing
them on stones of varying roughness. Considerable time, patience and skill were necessary to make
pieces somewhat uniform in size for placing on strings of hemp or bark liber or from sl<ins of animals.
These strings were often fastened side by side to form belts, usually of few strings width, but sometimes
of eight, ten, twelve or more wide. Dark beads came from the ' eye ' of the shell. In some tribes they
were known as socki and were of twice the value of the ordinary while beads called Wompi. Sections of
bones were used as wampum, also the claws and beaks of birds and the teeth of animals; but the latter
could not be so readily drilled or fastened together and to the person as substances of less hardness.

Wampum was also a medium of payment and exchange among the Europeans in America as well as
between them and the .\borigines. See engravings of wampum on page 23.^ and later.

The Hollanders for some years, in the early part of the seventeenth century, were the principal
manufacturers and wholesale dealers in wampum of various colored glass and porcelain, in various forms
and sizes. This wampum was a great attraction to the .-Vborigines who eagerly exchanged the skins of

238 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

nent residence ; that, as soon as that object shall be accomplished he would go to see
you. which, he said, would be by the time he hears from you again.

April IS. 1796.
Sir ; . . The bearer is Captain Blue Jacket [a war-chief of the Shawnees] who,
at your request, is now going to Greenville. Blue Jacket is used to good company and is
always treated with more attention than other Aborigines. He appears to be very well
disposed, and I believe him sincere.* .

C.'kMP Deposit [Roche de Bout] June S. 179(>.
Sir : I arrived at this place the day before yesterday and have been waiting the
result of the Aborigine council at the [British] Miamis fort. It would appear that they
are divided in their opinions. White Cap, the principal Shawanese chief, wants to
alarm the Aborigines, but I am in hopes he will not succeed. Blue Jacket is with me,
and says that he will remain until your arrival. Yesterday some of 'their chiefs and
young men were with me, and assured me of their good intentions towards us. How far
this can be depended upon time will determine.

Camp Deposit June Hi, 179(5.
Sir: . . Two of my men deserted on the 14th inst. I sent my interpreter and
an Aborigine after them. They brought them back last night. I wish they had brought
their scalps for I know not what to do with them. Could I have power, at times, to call
a general court martial for the trial of deserters, it would save a great deal of time.

J. F. Hamtramck.

The British Surrenher the Fiirts.

John Jay Special Minister to Great Britain concluded a treaty 19th
November, 17'J4, known as the Jay Treaty, which was favorable to the
Northwest Territory inasmuch as one of its provisions was for the
British abandonment of their military posts on American soil on or
before the 1st June, 179H. This treat\' was proclaimed as a law by
the President 1st March, 1796. The 27th May General Wilkinson
sent Captain Schaumberg his aide-de-camp to Detroit to demand of
Colonel England the evacuation of the forts subject to his orders —

tlie best fur-bearine animals for it. In the year 1627 De Rasiers with a Holland trading vessel from New
Amsterdam (now New York) entered Plymouth Harbor and traded this wampum to the Puritans to the
value of ^,50. By the year 1640 it was quite generally used as money, on account of the scarcity of silver
and gold, throughout the northern Colonies, exclusively in some places, as the most convenient article
for exchange of values although it was considered in places "but a commodity, and it is unreasonable
that it should be forced upon any man.' — Rhode Island Colonial Records. 1662. Waiupum was current
in New York and throughout the East for fare in public conveyances, also in many places for taxes and
for goods until near the close of the eighteenth century, and yet later in this Basin. Strings of wampum
were of definite length and were used as measurers as well as for exchange. In the year 1666 the Con-
necticut Assembly made a land grant of ' Fifty fathoms of Wompom ' size.

* After chief Blue Jacket joined the .Americans Colonel M'Kee British Agent said to him; The
commission [see Index reference to Blue Jacket] you received from Sir John Johnson was not given you
to carry to the Americans. I am grieved to find that you have taken it to them (at the preliminary
treaty in January, 17951. It was with much regret I learned that you had deserted your friends [the
British! who always caressed you and treated you as a great man. You have deranged, by your im-
prudent conduct, all our plans for protecting the Aborigines and keeping them with us. They have
always looked up to you for advice and direction in war, and you have now broken the strong ties which
held them all together under your and our direction. You must now be viewed as the enemy of your
people and the other Aborigines whom you are seducing into the snares the Americans have formed for
their ruin; and the massacre and destruction of these people by the Americans must be laid to your
charge— Buttertields History o/ the Girtys page 396.

AMERICANS TAKE POSSESSION OF BRITISH FORTS. 239

Fort Lernoult at Detroit, Fort Miami near the foot of the Maumee
Rapids, and Fort Michilimackinac ; but Colonel England had received
no orders so to do from his superior officer and could not comply with
the demand. The British, however, had been buildin^i a fort at
Maiden, near Captain Matthew Elliott's estate, at the present Amherst-
burg on the left liank and near the mouth of Detroit River.

The first of June having passed without a movement of the British
to vacate the forts, the War Department decided with General Wavne
to make one more formal demand. Accordingly Captain Lewis was
sent from Philadelphia direct to Lord Dorchester who received him,
and the demand from headquarters, with great civility, and caused
orders to be drawn and given to him commanding the officers in charge
of the Forts — Oswego, Niagara, Miami, Lernoult, and Michilimackinac
— to vacate them to " such officer belonging to the forces of the United
States as shall jiroduce this authority to you for that jiurpose, who
shall precede the troops destined to garrison it by one day, in order
that he may have time to view the nature and condition of the works
and buildings." The orders for the surrender of Forts Oswego and
Niagara were handed by Captain Lewis on his return to Captain Bruff
at Albany, and those for the other forts were given to General Wayne
at Philadelphia who immediately dispatched them to General Wilkin-
son at Greenville and he sent them to Colonel Hamtramck who also
acted with proinptness as shown by his report to General Wilkinson,

viz :

Fort Miami |uly 11, ITitd.

Sir ; On the '7th instant two small vessels arrived from Detroit in which I sent a
detachment of artillery and infantry consisting of sixty-five men, together with a number
of cannon with ammunition, &c., Ac, the whole under the command of Captain [Moses]
Porter. On the !)th a sloop arrived from Detroit at Swan Creek, purchased by Captain
Henry DeButts, which carries fifty tons, and which is now loaded with flour, quarter-
master's stores and troops. That, together with eleven batteaux which I have, will be
sufficient to take all the troops I have with me. leaving the remainder of our stores
deposited at this place, which was evacuated [by the British] on this day, and where I
have left Captain Marschalk and Lieutenant Shauklin with fifty-two men, infantry, and
a corporal and six of artillery, that is, including the garrison at the head of the Rapids
[Roche de Bout ?]. I have endowed Fort Miami with one month's provision for both the
troops and the Shawanese. The latter, you recollect, you promised subsistence until
the crops were ripe. The number of the Shawane,se is about one hundred and eighty,
besides twenty-six or thirty Ottawas. I shall embark in two hours, with all the troops,
for Detroit.

Detroit, July 17, 1'7!)().

Sir ; I have the pleasure to inform you of the arrival of the troops under my com-
mand at this place [Fort Lernoult] which was evacuated [by the British] on the 11th
instant and [was] taken possession of by a detachment of sixty-five men commanded by
Captain Moses Porter, whom I had detached from the foot of the [Maumee] Rapids for
that purpose. Myself and the troops arrived on the IHth instant. . .

To Major General Wilkinson. J- ^- Hamtramck.

240 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

Thus was accomplished, after a further struggle of thirteen years
by the young Republic with the loss of much blood, what Great Brit-
ain should have at once surrendered at the close of the Revolutionary
War in 17h3 according to the Treaty of Paris. Instead of her arrogant
and continued aggressions and her incitements of the savages, had she
by proper conduct toward these savages given moral support to the
L'nited States in their efforts to cultivate and maintain among them a
desire for peace and progress toward civilization, their condition would
have greatly improved and the United States would have been saved
many lives and much expense. But the end was not vet come.
Eighteen more years the British persisted in their infamous conduct
toward the United States and with the savages for mastery over this
Basin. The policy of the British was then, as ever, to acquire territory
and never to relinquish any that was possible to hold. The treaty
necessary to close the Revolutionary War did not extinguish their
desire and expectation of re-possessing the American Colonies, or the
territory west of the Allegheny Mountains at least. This is shown by
their continual refusal to surrender their fortifications on the American
border; by their building the strong Fort Miami by thi' Maumee River,
a great advance into United States territory; and by their continued
efforts to federate and control all the Aborigine tribes in this Basin,
also those to the westward and southward of it. Some of Great Brit-
ain's apologists have attempted to attach the blame for these undue
and persistent aggressions and misdemeanors on the British subordi-
nate officials. This would imply a laxity of supervision on the part of
their superiors that no well-informed person will admit. The British
Home Office in London, England, kept well informed regarding the
methods and details of their subordinates as well as of the results of
them: in fact the Home Office dictated all. Many occurrences in the
conduct of affairs here that were reported were not kept of record; but
enough was entered upon record to convict all parties, as shown on
previous and succeeding pages hereto. Communications with London
bv trained messengers were also frequent. The most alert and aggres-
sive subordinates were sought for the frontiers ; and if the voice of one
was raised for a less aggressive or less cruel policy it was soon hushed,
generally b\- his removal.

During the summer of 1796 there was great scarcity' of provisions
at Detroit for the three hundred American soldiers as well as for the
large number of Aborigines who continued to gather there. Samuel
Henley Acting (Quartermaster went to Greenville to hasten forward
supplies bv way of the Ohio River. He wrote l^'th August to General
Williams Ouartermaster General at Detroit that . . 'the Commis-
sary General gave thirty dollars for the transjiortation of one barrel of

CHARACTER OF GENERAL ANTHONY WAYNE. 241

flour from Fort Washington to Fort Wayne.'' . . I am well con-
vinced that our public wagonmasters are a poor set of drunken
men.' .

Death ok General Wayne — W\\yne County — Intrigues.

General Wayne, on his return from Philadelphia, arrived at
Detroit 13th August, 1796, probably by the sloop Detroit from Fresque
Isle the present Erie, Pennsylvania. He was received by demonstra-
tions of great joy by all persons, including the twelve hundred Abo-
rigines there assembled. He remained at Detroit until the 17th No-
vember, when he again started for Philadelphia on a small sloop.
On this voyage over Lake Erie his system was much irritated and
fatigued by the tossings of the storms, and the disease from which he
had for some time suffered ( recorded as the gout ) made great progress.
It could not be allayed after his arrival at Fort Presque Isle, and he
there died l.Tth December, 179fi, aged fift\-one vears, eleven months
and fourteen days.T

General Wayne served his country well, and with much (jatriotic
fervor. He was a typical American commander. He was a thorough
disciplinarian, brave, impetuous and irresistilile in battle, and success-
ful in inspiring his soldiers with these requisites. He was also
thoughtful and conservative in planning and equally successful in
strategy and assault, as shown on different fields. North and South,
during the Revolutionary War. These characteristics were very pro-
nounced during his campaign through the Maumee River Basin : and
the success and value of this campaign were equalled only by the suc-
cess and value of his dij^lomacy in drawing the savages to Greenville
the next year, away from their British keepers and to the most import-
ant of treaties. These last, and greatest, acts of his life should ever
be respected as invaluable to our countr\', as thev settled favorably for
the Union its first great crisis.

General James Wilkinson continued to act as General-m-chiel of
the United States Army after the death of General Wayne.

The 15th August W^inthrop Sargent, Secretary of the Northwestern
Territory, proclaimed at Detroit the organization of Wayne County
which included nearly all of the Maumee River Basin and eastward to
the Cuyahoga River, and all of the Territory north of a line extending
from Fort Wayne to the south part of Lake Michigan. Thus this

'^The form of money most in use at this time was ' York Currency ' issued by the Provincial Con-
Eress of New Yorli. A few Spanish silver dollars were in circulation. They were then the most valuable
of all money seen and were rated at ten shillings each.

+ In 1809 his son Colonel Isaac Wayne, removed his remains from Presque Isle (Erie. Pennsyl-
vania) to his early home at Radnor, where the Society of the Cincinnati of Pennsylvania erected a
moderate marble monument to inatk his grave.

242

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

WAYNE COUNTY

BY PROCLAMATION

Basin was brought under the jurisdiction of the United States for the
first time, it having before l)een, excepting the sites of the American
Forts, under the nominal jurisdiction of County Kent organized in Can-
ada in 1792; but during this time, as previously, it was practically
subject to the Commandant of the garrison at Detroit.

With the occupation of Detroit by the Americans, there
followed the necessity for regular and prompt communication with

Fort Washington at Cincinnati.
Horses were kept at the sev-
eral stations of Greenville, St.
Marys, Defiance, and Miami at
the foot of the lowest Maumee
Rapids, for this purpose. J.
Wilkins, Junior, Quartermaster
General at Detroit, wrote to
Major John Wilson, Assistant
Quartermaster at Fort Miami,
under date of 16th Sejitember,
1796, that "I send' over by
Ogden two horses which are to
remain at Fort Miami to serve
as a relief for expresses; when
expresses are coming to this
place [Detroit] they are to leave
the horses they bring with you
and come on with fresh horses. You will take the greatest care of the
horses and have them well fed and attended to."

Near the close of the year 1796 the number of white people within
the present limits of Ohio was recorded as about five thousand, mostly
located along the Ohio River and along its tributaries within fifty miles
of the Ohio. With the prospects of peace and of the land being sur-
veyed and opened to settlers, the population increased rapidly.

After the organization of Wayne County, and until the formation
of the Ohio State Government in 1803, lawyers of Cincinnati attended
the General Court at Detroit. Five or six of them usually traveled in
company on horseback and took along a packhorse to carry supplies
additional to the personal effects in the saddle-bags of each individual.
Aborigine camps were passed through but it was not safe to rely on
them for assistance, and supplies along the route through the forest
were uncertain, even of corn to feed their horses. There were no
bridges, and each horse was a tried swimmer for crossing the deepest
of streams. They were generally from six to eight days in the wilder-
ness, and sometimes ten days. On one of these journeys the party

CINCINNATI LAWYERS SEE SHAWNEE BALL GAME. 245

arrived at the Ottawa town on the Autjlaise River about the middle of the
day, and accepted an invitation to remain there until the next morning.
Jacob Burnet, afterwards judge, was often a member of the party and
he wrote the following description of one of their entertainments/"

Blue Jacket the Shawnee chief who commanded in the battle of the 20th August,
]7!)4 [Battle of Fallen Timber] resided at that village, but was then absent. The party,
however, were received very kindly by the venerable Delaware chief Bu-kon-ge-he-las.
whose name has been given to a fine mill-stream in Logan County. He was one of the
chiefs who negotiated the treaty at the mouth of the Big Miami [Fort Finney] with Gen-
eral George R. Clark in 17S(i, in which his name is written Bo-hon-ghe-lass.

In the course of the afternoon he got up a game of foot-ball, for the amusement of
his guests, in the true aborigine style. He selected two young men to get a purse of
trinkets made up, to be the reward of the successful party. That matter was soon ac-
complished and the whole village, male and female in their best attire, were on the lawn
which was a beautiful plain of four or five acres, in the center of the village, thickly set
in blue grass. At each of the opposite extremes of this lawn two stakes were set up about
six feet apart. The men played against the women, and to countervail the superiority of
their strength it was a rule of the game that they were not to touch the ball with their
hands on the penalty of forfeiting the purse ; while the females had the privilege of using
their hands as well as their feet, being allowed to pick up the ball and run and throw it
as far as their strength and activity would permit. When a squaw succeeded in getting
the ball the men were allowed to seize, whirl her around and. if necessary, throw her on
the grass for the purpose of disengaging the ball, taking care not to touch it except with
the feet. The contending parties arranged themselves in the center of the lawn, the men
on one side and the women on the other, each party facing the goal of their opponents.
The side which succeeded in driving the ball through the stakes at the goal of their ad-
versaries, was proclaimed victors and received the purse to be divided among them. All
things being ready, the old chief came on the lawn and, saying something in the Abori-
gine language not understood by his guests, threw up the ball between the lines of the
combatants and retired. The contest began. The parties were pretty fairly matched as
to numbers, having about a hundred on a side, and for a long time the game appeared
to be doubtful. The young .squaws were the most active of the party and most frequently
caught the ball, at which time it was amusing to see the struggle between them and the
young men which generally terminated in the prostration of the squaw upon the grass be-
fore the ball could be forced from her hands. The contest continued about an hour with
great animation and varying prospects of success. It was finally decided in fa\'or of the
fair sex by the herculean strength of a mammoth squaw who got the ball and held it, in
spite of the efforts of the men to shake it from the grasp of her uplifted hand, till she ap-
proached the goal near enough to throw it through the stakes. When the contending par-
ties had retired from the strife it was pleasant to .see the exultation expressed in the faces
of the victors whose joy was manifestly increased by the circumstance that victory was
won in the presence of white men whom they supposed to be highly distinguished and
honored in their nation, a conclusion very natural for them to draw as they knew the
business on which their guests were journeying to Detroit. The party spent the night
very pleasantly in the village, and in the morning resumed their journey.

* Burnet's Notes pages 6H tu 7r Henry Howe in his Historical Collections of Ohio places this
' Ottawa town ' at the present Wapakoneta. There were many 'Ottawa' towns alony these rivers and
this particular one on the .\uglaise River in the opinion of the writer was about the central part of the
present Allen County, Ohio, or about the site where Fort Amanda was built in 1813 in AuElaise County
near the line of Allen, and site of General Wayne's fort at the ' Head of the Anglaise,'

244 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

On the outward journey they [the lawyers] took the route by Dayton, Piqua, Loramie,
St. Marys, and the Ottawa town on the Auglaise, and thence down this river to Defiance;
thence down the Maumee to the foot of the rapids, and thence to and across the River
Raisin to Detroit. On their return they crossed the Maumee at Roche de Boeuf [properly
Roche de Bout] by the advice of Black Beard, a personal friend of Judge Symmes, who
lived in that neighborhood and with whom the party breakfasted. As a matter of pre-
caution they hired his son to accompany them in the capacity of guide. He led them
through a succession of wet prairies over some of which it was impossible to ride,
and it was with great difficulty they were able to lead or drive their horses through the
deep mud which surrounded them on all sides. After two days and a half of incessant
toil and difficulty they arrived at the same village in which they had been so kindly treat-
ed, and so much amused, on their outward journey. To their great mortification and
disappointment they were informed that Blue Jacket had returned from Cincinnati a day
or two before with a large quantity of whiskey, and that his people were in a high frolic. This
information was soon confirmed by the discovery that the people of the whole village,
male and female were drunk. The party, however, were received with great kindness,
but it was in a style they were not disposed to permit. An old withered looking squaw,
very drunk, was extremely officious. Knowing that Mr. St. Clair, one of the party, was
the Attorney General of the Territory and son of the Governor, her attentions were prin-
cipally conferred upon him. She kissed him and exclaimed 'you big man — Governor's
son'. Then turning to the rest of the party, said with marked contempt ' you be milish'*
and then kissed Mr. St. Clair again. It was certainly one of those rare occasions on
which men of sensibility and delicacy feel the advantage of being placed at a low grade
on the scale of dignity. It was manifestly impossible to remain in the village, and the
only alternative was to proceed on their journey. It was then late in the afternoon.
They were much fatigued, and had a wet swampy path of twelve miles to pass over to
the River St. Mary, through a valley swarming with gnats and mosquitoes. It was a
choice of evils ; but, as there was no time to hesitate, they saddled their horses and
started. Night overtook them in the middle of the swamp. There being no moon, and
the forest being very dense, it was found impossible to keep the path, much less to see
and avoid the quagmires on every side. They had no alternative, and halted till morning.
To lie down was impossible from the nature of the ground; and to sleep was still more
difficult as they were surrounded with gnats and mosquitoes. After remaining in that
uncomfortable condition five or six hours, expecting every moment their horses to break
away, daylight made its appearance for their relief. About sunrise they arrived at the .
old Fort ■'Vdams on the St. Mary. This fort was then occupied by Charles Murray and
his squaw who got them a breakfast, after which they proceeded to Cincinnati. Jour-
neys of a similar character were of frequent occurrence during the continuance of the
Territorial government, and for some years after.

The Jay Treaty with Great Britain was considered by France as an
alteration and suspension of her treaty of 177H with the United States;
and on the 19th August, 1796, a treaty of alliance, offensive and defen-
sive, was concluded between France and Spain, and this at once led to
some overt acts bv France against the United States on the high seas,
and to agents of Spain and France again becoming active to alienate
this Northwestern Territory from the East. The idea of a Western
Confederac}' was again advocated b}' a few persons in Kentucky. A

'■"This expression nrobabb' voiced the opinion of the Aborigines at this time of the inilitiatnen, in
contradistinction to soldiers of the regular army.

INTRIGUES OF FRANCE AND SPAIN. 245

special emissar\' from Baron de Carondelet the Spanish Governor
General of Louisiana was again sent in the person of Thomas Power,
a versatile Irishman possessing a practical knowledge of the English,
French and Spanish^ languages who had previously been in Kentucky
and in the Ohio settlements to advance the interests of Spain in the
Mississippi Basin. In June, 1797, he again proceeded to Kentucky and
addressed influential personages on subjects that were in the present
uncertain and critical attitude of politics, highly imprudent and danger-
ous to lay before them on paper' but which were, in effect, that if they
would 'immediately exert all their influence in impressing on the minds
of the inhabitants of the western country a conviction of the necessity
of their withdrawing and separating themselves from the Federal
Union, and forming an independent government wholly unconnected
with that of the Atlantic States' they would be well rewarded.

If a hundred thousand dollars distributed in Kentucky would cause it
to rise in insurrection, I am verv certain that the minister, in the pres-
ent circumstances, would sacrifice them with ])leasure: and you may,
without exposing yourself too much, promise them to those who enjoy
the confidence of the people, with another equal sum, in case of
necessity: and twenty pieces of field artillery.'*.

Meantime the Spanish forts along the Mississippi River were not
surrendered to the United States according to the Treaty of 1795, and
it was reported to the Secretary of State by Winthrop Sargent Secre-
tary of the Northwest Territory, 3rd June, 1797, that General Howard
an Irishman commissioned f\v Spain as Commander-in-chief had
arrived at St. Louis with upwards of three hundred men and had begun
the erection of a formidable fort; that a large party of Aborigines
(Delawares) passed down the White River, a tributary of the Wabash,
the first week in May bearing a Spanish flag on their way to reinforce
the Spaniards. Further, that the Spaniards had on the Mississippi
above the mouth of the Ohio several galley row boats with cannon.

Thomas Power also traversed the Maumee Valley in August on
his way to Detroit to meet General Wilkinson and other influential
men. He was accompanied, or soon followed, by the Agents of
France, Victor de Collot and M. Warin, who sketched maps of the
rivers and country. In a letter from Detroit to Captain Robert Buntin
at Vincennes under date 4th September, 1797, General Wilkinson
mentions receiving a letter from Carondelet stating "a variety of frivo-
lous reasons for not delivering the posts, and begs that no more [Amer-
ican] troops be sent down the Mississippi. I have put aside all his
exceptions, and have called on him in the most solemn manner to fulfill

* American State Papers, Miscellaneous volume ii. page 1

246 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

the treaty. . . Although Mr. Power has brought me this letter it is
possible it might be a mask to other purposes; I have therefore, for
his accommodation and safety, put him in care of Captain Shaumburgh
who will see him safe to New Madrid by the most direct route. I pray
you to continue your vigilance, and give me all the information in your
power." .

France refused to receive the American Minister and permitted
man}' unwise acts of her citizens while instigating others. Congress,
also, adopted measures of defense and retaliation, authorizing the form-
ation of a provisional army, about twelve regiments of which were to
gather at Fort Washington where boats were to be built to transport
them down the Mississippi; commercial intercourse with France was
suspended ; an act was passed for the punishment of alien and secret
enemies of the United States; and for the punishment of treason and
sedition.

The Spaniards of the Mississippi fearing an invasion by the
British, President John Adams ordered General Wilkinson 4th Febru-
ary, 1798, to oppose all who should presume to attempt a violation of
the laws of the territory of the United States by an expedition through
it against their enemies. This implies that the British had designs on
the Spanish Colony by way of the Maumee or Illinois. The Territory
of Mississippi was formed by Congress 7th April, 1798, and Winthrop
Sargent was nominated and approved as its Governor. The vacancy
thus made of Secretary of the Northwestern Territory, was filled ■26th
June by the appointment of William H. Harrison.

Ex-President George Washington was chosen 2nd July, 1798,
Lieutenant General and Commander-in-Chief of the armies raised or to
be raised for the service of the United States. There was little to be
done, however, that he could not readily delegate to his subordinates.
During the summer of 1798 the Spanish vacated their forts in American
territor}', and the 5th October General Wilkinson took up headquarters
at Loftus Heights, where Fort Adams was soon built, on the eastern
bank of the Mississippi about six miles north of the 31st degree of
north latitude the then dividing line between the United States and
Spanish territory.

The first Wayne County was divided into four townships according
to the law of 6th November, 1790. The 1st November, 1798, these
townships bore the names Detroit, Mackinaw, Sargent and Hamtramck,
the last named including, probably, nearly all of this Basin. The first
election in which Wayne County participated was held at Detroit, and
one or two other places, the third Monday of December, 1798, accord-
ing to proclamation of Governor St. Clair the 29th October; but owing
to some irregularity another election was held the 14th January, 1799,

FIRST NEWSPAPERS. LEGISLATURE. CONGRESSMAN. 247

which resulted in the election of Solomon Sibley, Charles F. Chobert
de Joncaire (jonquiere?) and Jacob Visger, all of Detroit and its
vicinity, as Representatives to the Legislature.

Territorial Legislature — Indiana Territory — Other
Organizations.

The Legislature convened at Cincinnati the 22nd January, 1799,
and later selected ten citizens whose names were sent to the President
of the United States according to the Ordinance of 1787, from whom
he was to nominate a Legislative Council or Senate for the Territory.
The meeting was then prorogued by Governor St. Clair to meet the
16th September.

The first newspaper in this Northwestern Territory was started 9th
November, 1793, by William Maxwell later postmaster at Cincinnati.
It was a half sheet, size 10 x 13 inches and headed Centinel of the
Northwestern Territory. The second newspaper was the Western Spy
started at Cincinnati 2Mth May, 1799.

A quorum of the General Assembly was not present at the
adjourned meeting until 24th Sejjtember when the nineteen Represen-
tatives reported as follows: two from Adams County, seven from
Hamilton, one from Jefferson, one from Knox, four from Ross, one
from Washington, and three from this Wayne County. These, with
the five persons selected by President Adams from the names that had
been sent to him (Jacob Burnet, James Findlay, Henry Vanderburg,
Robert Oliver, and David Vance) as Legislative Council or Senate,
completed the first Territorial Legislature.

William H. Harrison was chosen, the 3rd October, 1799, by this
Legislature as the first Delegate or Representative to Congress from
the Territory Northwest of the Ohio River. He at once resigned his
office as Secretary of the Territory, proceeded to Philadelphia and took
his seat in Congress which was there in session. Here, as elsewhere
he did good work for his constituents. The office of Secretary' of the
Territory becoming thus vacant. President Adams nominated Charles
Willing Byrd for the place 30th December, and the United States
Senate confirmed the choice the next day.

The difliculties attending the organization and maintenance of
government for a vast extent of country remote from officers and the
seat of government, had long been felt, and at length became the sub-
ject of Congressional inquiry. A committee of Congress reported the
3rd March, 1800, that 'in the three western counties of the Northwest
Territorv there had been but one court having cognizance of crimes
in five years; and the immunity which offenders experience, attracts as
to an asvlum the most vile and abandoned criminals, and at the same

248

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

WAYISEl, COUMTY

Aftcf for»T7a^on o^
InoiarM T(irr\Tori\
Law of Maij 7.I800

lAURENS
9-

time deters useful and virtuous persons from making settlements in
such society.'

In consonance with the recommendations of this committee, Con-
gress provided, the 7th May, that from and after the 4th of July, 1800,

all that part of the Territory of
the United States Northwest of
the Ohio River which lies to the
Westward of a line beginning at
the Ohio opposite to the mouth
of Kentucky River, and running
thence to Fort Recovery, and
thence north until it shall inter-
sect the Territorial line between
the United States and Canada,
shall, for the purpose of tem-
porary government, constitute
a separate territorv, and be
called the Indiana Territory.
All east of this line was called
Ohio Territory; and thus Wayne
County was reduced about one-
half in size. The Ordinance of
1787 was to apply for the government of Ohio and Indiana Territories
as heretofore, and William H. Harrison was appointed Governor of
Indiana Territory. Arthur St. Clair was reappointed Governor with
jurisdiction over Ohio Territory, notwithstanding his increasing dis-
favor with the people. Chillicothe was occupied as the capitol of Ohio
Territory in the year 1800.

Four land offices were established in Ohio Territory the 10th May,
1800; at Chillicothe, Cincinnati, Marietta and Steubenville. The
desirability of the United States Patent for settlers' lands, and more
compactness of jurisdiction, became more apparent to settlers in Con-
necticut's Western Reserve. Early in the year 1800 the seekers of
homes therein numbered about one thousand, mostly located near Lake
Erie. The 30th May the Connecticut Assembly transferred all her
rights of jurisdiction to the United States, which action placed all of
Ohio Territory upon a uniform land basis. This further conduced to
the increase in this Reserve of settlements, which extended westward
and occupied the eastern jiart of the lands of the Aborigines, they
receiving pay therefor from the Connecticut Land Company. Later in
this year, 1800, Trumbull County was organized, its limits extending
westward to the middle of Sandusky Bay or about five miles west of
the pi;esent City of Sandusky, and including all of the Western Reserve,

ADDED BRITISH INSULT. THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE. 249

X.AKC
SUPERIOR

WAYNE COUNTY

Ajfcr procUrodiloN oj
Ju)-^ I0-)9oo

which further curtailed Wayne County east from this line to the Cuya-
hoga River. The second protestant missionary in northern Ohio was sent
to this Reserve the latter part of IHOO liy the Connecticut Missionary
Societv. He found no township containing more than eleven families.

The Second ITnited States Cen-
sus, for the year IHOO, showed
the population of Ohio Territorj'
to be 45,365, including, as it
did, what is now eastern Michi-
gan.

The British, after their re-
moval to the Canadian bank of
Detroit River in 179fi, continu-
ed to ignore the line of United
States Territory, officially cross-
ing it at their pleasure. As late
as the -iOth October, IKOO, one
of their officers went to Detroit,
broke into a private house and
arrested Francis Poquette, using
such violence that the victim
soon died of the injuries he re-
ceived. They also endeavored to retain their former influence over
the Aborigines. The rising power of the United States, was apparent,
however, in the development of the West. The courage and prompt-
ness of the Government in meeting the many intrigues and aggressions
of the Aborigines, the French, Spanish, and of the unduly ambitious
Americans, had allayed visionary and chimerical schemes, and given
impetus and more stability to the Western settlements. The threat-
ened war with France was happily allayed and, the 30th September, a
treaty with that power was consummated. The ambitions of Spain,
through a number of years to possess this region, were also defeated,
and the 1st October she secretly ceded Louisiana back to France after
an ownership of thirty-eight years.

Nor did Napoleon's first idea of a new France prevail, but rather
that wise decision of President Jefferson and Congress for the purchase
by the United States 30th April, 1803, of that vast domain, styled the
Louisiana Purchase. Thus was removed by one master act all object-
ions to Americans navigating the Mississippi and trading throughout
its course. This purchase also quieted the agitations, both foreign and
domestic, for a Western Republic.

The first post road between Cincinnati and Detroit was established
3rd March, 1801. There bemg no postoffices, however, on the northern

250

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

end of the route for about two years after thiis date, tlie mail was carried
as a military or semi-military express as formerly. There was this
year also an increase of carrying facilities on Lake Erie, and on the
Ohio River. The first ship to pass down the rivers, across the Gulf to
Havana, and up the Atlantic coast to Philadelphia, was launched this
)'ear at Marietta. In 1801 the first capitol building for Ohio was built
at Chillicothe w^here Congress had designated the seat of government,
and in November the first session of the Second General Assembly met
there. Wayne County was represented by persons from Detroit as

follows: Solomon Sibley, as member of the Council or Senate in
place of Judge Vanderburg who resided in the new Territory of Indiana;
George M'Dougall, Charles F. Chobert Joncaire, and Jonathan Schief-
flin. The two last named aided the notorious Governor Hamilton in
his cruel warfare against Americans during the Revolutionary War,
and after the surrender of Detroit to the Americans in 1796 the last
named yet declared himself a British subject with determination to
remain such. The United States has had many similar examples, in
which the ignoring by the public of a forceful man's ill-advised state-

MILITARY POSTS. OHIO STATE ORGANIZED. 251

ments and actions has ^iven him opportunity in which he has refornit-d
his opinion and tempered his after life to lieneficent service. Tliis
Legislature continued in se'ssion until iord January, iHOl', wlun Gov-
ernor St. Clair, who as a Federalist had become very officious and e.xact-
ing against the organization of Ohio to the displeasure of the i>eo])le
generally, adjourned the session to meet in Cincinnati the following-
November. This act greatly offended many people of Chillicothe,
some of whom started to mob the Governor. Fortunately Jonathan
Schiefilin of Detroit was present with a pair of pistols whicli, being
exhibited in a firm manner, caused the mob to disperse without the
necessity for their further use.

In the 'Estimate of all Posts and Stations where [military] Garri-
sons will be expedient, and of the Number of Men requisite' made
December 3, 1801, but three Posts were mentioned for the Territory
Northwest of the Ohio River, viz: Michilimackinac one compan\- of
artillery and one of infantry: Detroit one company of artillery and four
of infantry: Fort Wayne one company of infantry. In Act of Congress
March, 1802, for Reduction of the Army, Fort Wayne was styled a
'frontier post with garrison of sixty-four men.' In the year 1803 Fort
Wayne had garrison of fifty-one men, viz: one Captain, one Surgeon's
Mate, one first and one second Lieutenant, one Ensign, four Sergeants,
four Corporals, three Musicians, and thirty-five Privates. '

State of Ohio — Treaties — Michigan and Illinois Territories.

The 4th March, 1802, with the presumption that Ohio Territory
contained a population of at least sixt\' thousand people, and a Con-
gressional Committee on this Territory reporting favorably. Congress
voted the 30th April to call a Convention of representatives of the Ter-
ritory to meet the 1st November, 1802, to frame a Constitution for the
proposed State of Ohio. This Convention, by a majority of five, per-
mitted the request of Governor St. Clair to deliver an address 'on
those points which he deems of importance.' In his speech the
Governor advised the postponement of a State organization until the
people of the original (eastern) division were plainly entitled to
demand it, and were not subject to be bound by conditions. Unwise
criticism, made at this time in addition to previous unwise acts, caused
President Thomas Jefferson to at once remove St. Clair from the
governorship. When the vote was taken upon the question of doing
that which St. Clair advised them not to do, but one of the thirtv-three
members of the Convention, Ephraini Cutler of Washington County,
voted with the Governor. t

' American State Papers, Military Affairs volume i, pages 156. 175. 786.
t See Jacob Burnet's Letters, patres lOH, llu and 111,

Z&Z THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

The Constitution was agreed upon and signed with commendable
promptness, being completed the 29th November, 1802 ; and the 19th
February, 1803, Ohio was admitted to the Union as a State, the fourth
under the general Constitution and the seventeenth in general number.
The first Legislature met at Chillicothe the first Tuesday of March,
lb03, thus completing the State organization. The white residents of
Wayne County were mostly settled at Detroit : but some were settled
by the water courses to, and including, the Maumee. They were
counted to make the requisite number for the Statehood of Ohio: but
this Wayne County was given neither representation in the Convention
nor vote on the Constitution. In fact northwestern Ohio over the
whole extent of this Basin had no representation in the government
until after the organization of counties in April, 1820. Naturall\' the
Ohio part of this Basin reverted to Hamilton Countv for its civil gov-
ernment after the organization of Ohio as a State; and at the organi-
zation 1st May, 1h03, of Montgomery and Greene Counties they could
be supposed to extend north to the State line. Thev exercised but
little if any jurisdiction, however, in this region which, with other parts
of the Basin, remained the territory of the Aborigines until the treaties
of 1817, and were directly subject to the United States authorities at
Fort Wayne and Detroit. Wavne Countv in Ohio was not again
mentioned until 13th February, 1808, when by Legislative Act the
present County was organized with boundaries somewhat as now
existing, widely separated from the original Wa\'ne County which has
been taken from until it is of ordinary county size, with Detroit yet its
seat of government.

After the Treaty at Greenville in 1795, the Aborigines remained for
a short time reasonably contented with the United States Annuity, and
with what they received for the peltries obtained by hunting and trap-
ping. They also received many gratuities from the white settlers
among whom they wandered and entered dwellings at will, and by
whom thev were generally treated with kindly consideration notwith-
standing their want of regard for individual rights in property desired
bv them. It became more and more apparent, however, that British
influence was yet being exerted among them and causing discontent to
be fostered among the several tribes.

Governor Harrison, who was also Superintendent of the Affairs of
the Aborigines for Indiana Territory, completed at Fort Wayne 7th
June, 1803, the treaty that was begun 17th September, 1802, at Vin-
cennes, in which the Eel River, Kaskaskia, Kickajjoo, Miami, Pianke-
shaw, Pottawotami and Wea tribes formally deeded to the United
States the lands about Vincennes which had previously been bought of
the other Aborigme tribes: and this act was further confirmed at

PURCHASES FROM ABORIGINES. MICHIGAN ORGANIZED. 255

Vincennes the 7th August by yet other Aborigine chiefs. The 13th
August the Illinois tribes deeded to the United States a large portion
of the countr\' south and east of the Illinois River. The 13th August,

1804, Governor Harrison jiurchased for the United States the claims of
the Delawares to the land between the Wabash and Ohio Rivers. He
also purchased of the Piankeshaws their claims to lands deeded to the
United States by the Kaskaskias in 1803; also by treaty and purchase,
the claims of the several tribes were extinguished to large areas of
lands further west.

A treaty was also held at Fort Industry on the 4th July, 1805.*
At this time and place the chiefs and warriors of the Wyandot,
Ottawa, Chippewa, Munsee, Delaware, Shawnee, and Pottawotami
tribes, and those of the Shawnees and Senecas who lived with the
Wyandots, ceded to the United States all of their claims to the West-
ern Reserve of Connecticut, for and in consideration of an annuity of
one thousand dollars in addition to sixteen thousand dollars paid to
them by the Connecticut Land Company and the Proprietors of the
one half million acres of Sufferers' Lands ( Firelands, lands granted to
those persons who suffered by fire in Connecticut by acts of the British
during the Revolutionary War). Further, a treaty with and an
annuity to the dissatisfied Pottawotami, Miami, Eel River and Wea
Aborigines near Vincennes, the 21st August, 1805, induced them to
relinquish their claims to the southeastern part of Indiana which was
also bought of the Delawares by the United States on the iWth of
August, 1804. These several treaties and purchases, of 1H03-04-05,
including yet another with the Piankeshaws on the 30th December,

1805, extinguished several times over all alleged right of claim to these
lands by the Aborigines.

Michigan was organized into a separate Territory by Congress the
11th January, 1S05. The southern limit was to be a line running due
east from the most southern shore of Lake Michigan, as it was then
understood ; and the new government was to go into effect the 30th
June. General William Hull was appointed Governor.

'^American State Papers. Aborigine Aftairs volume i, pa^ie 696. The writer has been unable to
find any further authentic mention of Fort Industry by several applications by letters and in person to
the Secretaries of State and War at WashiuKton. and by personal search there and in the United Slates
Library. A writer some years ago ascribed its building to General Wayne immediately after the Battle
of Fallen Timber (Knapp's History of the Maumee Valley] and others have copied his assertion.
Henry Howe wrote in his Historical Collections of Ohio that the time of its building was about the year
1800. The writer has shown by official reports, of all existing forts on previous pages of this bool< that
Fort Industry was not built before the winter or spring of IHO.t; that it was probably but a stockade
(probably an old one repaired) for the accommodation of the troops present at the treaty and called a
fort for the effect of the name on the Aborigines; and that it was abandoned soon after the treaty.
Tradition alone gives its situation on the left (north) bank of Swan Creek at its entrance into the
Maumee River, about the crossing of Summit and Monroe Streets in the present City of Toledo, Ohio.
See the writer's article in the Ohio Archaeologicai and Hisiorical Ouarterly. vol. sii p, 123,

254 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

Aaron Burr journeyed, and re journeyed, through the west and
southwest during- the vears IHOo and 1H06, and rumors became rife of
his pre]iarations to invade and conquer Mexico, and to create a West-
ern Republic of which the country west of the Allegheny Mountains
was to form a part. The Legislature of Ohio ordered, the first part of
December, 1806, the seizure of fourteen boats and supplies at Marietta,
which were about read}- to start down the rivers in aid of Burr's
scheme. Burr was arrested 17th January, 1807, and was released on
bail, which he forfeited. He was again arrested while endeavoring to
escape, was subjected to trial at Richmond, and accjuitted. Thus
failed, however, the fourth and weakest effort to wrest this western
region from the United States. During these years of scheming by
restless, designing persons, and of apprehension by the Government,
there was considerable strengthening of United States troops at Forts
Washington, Wavne, and Detroit; and preparations were made for their
active service. The conduct of Aaron Burr was a cause for this : and
the increasing aggressions of the British were also an explanation.

The ■27th January, 1H07, Henry Dearborn Secretary of War, sent a
commission to William Hull Governor of Michigan Territorv and Suii-
erintendent thereof Aborigine Affairs, with instructions to hold a treaty
council with the Aborigines. Governor Hull issued a call to the differ-
ent tribes for a council at Detroit; but they did not attend. Two other
calls were sent, and President Jefferson directed him to communicate
to them the continued friendl\- intentions and offices of the United
States. The setjuel proved that their desires to respond to the invita-
tions to council had been thwarted by Captain Alexander M'Kee
British agent. Finally, they evaded M'Kee and his aids and went to
Detroit for council, in which they proclaimed the intrigue of the British
to again more closelv alh' them to their aid for the war likelv to ensue
with the United States. '■' Between seven and eight hundred Aborigines
had been invited to Maiden, now Amherstburg, where intoxicating bev-
erages and promises prevailed. During October and November many
hundreds of these Aborigines were unavoidably fed at Detroit by Gov-
ernor Hull while on their way to and from Maiden, and also during
the council, notwithstanding the direction of the Secretary of War that
from fifty to one hundred was as great a number as ought to be allowed
to attend. A iirominent feature of this council, and one that was
remembered and repeated by the Aborigines, was the expression of
President Jefferson that they should remain quiet spectators, and not
participate in any (piarrels of others, particularly of the white people;
that tht' ['uited States were strong enough to fight their own battles ;

■'' Compare American State Papers, Ab.'iiwiiie Allairs Nuhune i. pat;c

GRANTS TO ABORIGINES. RESERVATIONS. ROADS. 255 ^

and that it was evidence of weakness on the part of any people to
want the aid of the Aborigines.

Finally a treaty was effected at Detroit 17th November, 1S()7, with
the Chippewa, Ottawa, Pottawotami and Wyandot tribes in which
they deeded to the United States all their claims to the country north
of the middle of the Maumee River from its mouth to the mouth of the
Auglaise, thence extending north to the latitude of the south part of
Lake Huron, thence east to and southward along the Canadian boun-
dary. For this territory- they received ten thousand dollars in 'money
and goods' as first payment and an annuity of two thousand and four
hundred dollars. They were given, however, the option of monev,
goods, implements of husbandry, and domestic animals, from which to
choose. Of these sums, the Chijipewas received one-third, the Ottawas
one-third, and the Pottawotamis and Wyandots each one-sixth. This
treaty further reads that "the llnited States, to manifest their liberalitv,
and disposition to encourage the said Aborigines in agriculture, further
stipulate to furnish the said Aborigines with two blacksmiths during
the term of ten years — one to reside with the Chippewas at Saginaw,
and the other to reside with the Ottawas at the Maumee. Said black-
smiths are to do such work for the said nations as shall be most useful
to them." As in former treaties, the Aborigines were to have the
privilege of hunting on the ceded lands as long as they remained the
distinctive property of the United States.

Certain tracts of this land were also reserved for the exclusive use
of the Aborigines. These reservations within this Basin were as
follows : Six miles square on the north bank of the Maumee above
Roche de Bout 'to include the village where Tondagame [Tontogany]
or the dog, now lives ' probably at the Grand Rapids. Another reser-
vation three miles square on the Maumee "above the twelve miles
square ceded to the United States by the Treaty at Greenville, includ-
ing what is called Presque Isle: also, four miles square on the Miami
[Maumee] Bay, including the villages where Meshkemau and Waugau
now live. . . It is further understood and agreed, that whenever
the reservations cannot convenientl>- be laid out in squares, they shall
be laid out in parallelograms or other figures as found most practicable
and convenient, so as to obtain the area specified in miles : and in all
cases they are to be located in such manner and in such situations as
not to interfere with any improvements of the French or other white
people, or any former cession."

American settlers continued to gather in Ohio, and some took resi-
dence on the United States Reservations at the Foot of the Rapids of
the Maumee. The necessity for roads to connect the settlements in
Ohio with those in Michigan, becoming more ap]iarent, Governor Hull

256 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

was directed to secure cession of lands for such roads from the Aborigi-
nes. Accordingly a treaty was held at Brownstown, Michigan, 25th
November, IKOH, with the sachems, chiefs and warriors of the Chip-
pewa, Ottawa, Pottawotami, Shawnee, and Wa\'ndot tribes in which
they quitclaimed a tract of land one hundred and twenty feet in width
for a road from the foot of the lowest rapids in the Maumee River to
the western line of the Connecticut Reserve; also all the land within
one mile of each side of this roadway for the settlement of white
people: "also a tract of land, for a road only, of one hundred and
twenty feet in width to run southwardly from what is called Lower
Sandusky [now Fremont] to the boundary line established by the
Treatv of Greenville, with the privilege of taking, at all times, such
timber and other materials from the adjacent lands as may be necessary
for making and keeping in repair the said road, with the bridges that
mav be required along the same." . . No compensation was given
the Aborigines in money or merchandise for these roadways, as they
were desirable and beneficial to the Aborigine nations as well as to the
United States, reads a clause in the cession.

Indiana Territory from its organization in 1M02 had extended to
the Mississippi River. The settlements had increased so much, how-
ever, that the Illinois country was organized into a separate Territory
the 3rd Februarv, IHO'J.

Tecumseh's Conspiracy with British Against Americans.

For several years the Aborigines had manifested an increasing
restlessness, which was attributed by Captain Dunham and other Amer-
ican officers principally to the influence of foreigners who were trading
among them.''' The idea first taught to the savages by the early
French in opposition to the British, then exploited by Pontiac in 1763,
and then amplified with greater force by the British against the Amer-
icans from the beginning of the Revolutionary War — of a confedera-
tion of all the tribes, and that all lands should be claimed by them col-
lectively, and that no claim should be disposed of, nor any advance of
the Americans upon the lands be permitted — was being revived and
again urged before the Aborigines by the British and a few French.

Tecumseh, an energetic Shawnee brave, began in 1805 therefrom
to repeat the history of Pontiac, the Americans being the people con-
spired against. The increasing purchases of claims b\' the United
States, and the rapid increase of American settlers thereon who at
once began to clear away the forest; the organization of Territories,
State and Counties, with their courts and closer government, all had

* COTII

ipaie American State Papers. Aborigine Atfairs volume i. page T9y.

CONSPIRACY OF TECUMSEH AND ELSKWATAWA. 257

excited apprehension among lawless traders and loungers in the camps
of the Aborigines, and had also excited afresh the chronically meddle-
some British officers and agents, inciting them to renewed intrigues.

Tecumseh's reputed brother,
lilskwatawa, had recently remov-
ed with other Shawnees from the
Scioto River, Ohio, to the Tippe-
canoe, Indiana, where he soon
gained something of a notoriety
as a sorcerer. He began to tell
of his dreams and visions, and to
claim the knowledge and power of
a prophet inspired and commis-
sioned by the Great Spirit to lead
the Aborigines l>ack to the con-
dition of their ancestors before
the coming of the Americans. His
remarkable pretensions s [ire ad
Irom the Shawnee town by the
Tipjiecanoe River to other and
distant tribes, being carried by
runners including Tecumseh who
traveled rapidly from tribe to tribe
between Lake Erie and the Mis-
sissippi, and from the u|i]ier lakes
to the Gulf of Mexico.
These actions of Tecumseh and the 'Prophet' were understood by
Governor Harrison as a concerted effort to marshal the Aborigines in
the interest of their British allies again against the United States.
Since the campaign of General Wavne a new generation of young men,
fed from the rations supplied their jiarents by the United States, had
developed into warriors anxious for excitement and ready at short
notice to follow an\' leader whose project appeared probable to gratify
their savage impulses. Letters were soon received by the Secretary of
War from the several military jaosts throughout the western country
regarding the increasing hostility of the Aborigines and their threaten-
ings to exterminate Americans, also of their being aided by the British;
but, notwithstanding accumulating proof of their designs both parties,
Tecumseh and the 'Prophet' and the British, denied any hostile inten-
tion against the United States. Excerjits from some of the letters to the
Secretary of War in proof of the contrarv are here presented, viz:''

ELSKWATAWA

The Shawnee Sorcerer and Prophet. Born
probably about 1770. 'A cunning, unprincipled
man. in earl.v life remarkable for nothim,' but
stupidity and intoxication.' The last years of his
life were obscured.

''^' For much other proof, see American Stale Papers volume iv. paye 798 et sequentia.

258 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

General William Clark wrote from St. Louis April 5, 1809, that
the Aborigine prophet's emissaries have been industriously employed
the latter part of winter and spring privately councillinsi with, and
attempting to seduce the Kickapoos, Saukeys, and other bands of
Aborigines by the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, to war against the
frontiers of this country. William Wells wrote from Fort Wayne Hth
April that the Aborigines appear to be agitated respecting the conduct and
as they say the intentions of the Shawnee Prophet. The Chippewas,
Ottawas, and Pottawotamis are hurrying away from him and say that
their reason for doing so is because he has told them to receive the
tomahawk from him and destroy all the white people at Vincennes and
Ohio, as low down as the mouth of the Ohio and as high up as Cincin-
nati : that the Great Spirit had directed that they should do so, at the
same time threatening them with destruction if they refused to comply
with what he proposed. General Clark wrote from St. Louis April
30th: I have the honor to enclose you a cop\' of a letter which con-
firms my suspicions of the British interference with our Aborigine
affairs in this country. The following is an extract from the enclosed
letter from Boilvin: 'l am at present in the fire receiving Aborigine
news every da}'. A chief of the Puant nation appears to be employed
b}' the British to get all the nations of Aborigines to Detroit to see
their fathers the British, who tell them that they pity them in their
situation with the Americans, because the Americans had taken their
lands and their game; that they must join and send them off from their
lands. They said they had but one father that had helped them in
their misfortunes, and that they would assemble, defend their father,
and keep their lands.' It appears that four English subjects have been
at Riviere a la Roche this winter in disguise : they have been there to
get the nations together and send them on the American front-
iers. Governor Harrison wrote from Vincennes 3rd May, 1809,
of his decided opinion that the Prophet will attack our settlements.
About eight days ago he had with him three hundred and fifty warriors
well armed with rifles; they have also bows and arrows, war clubs, and
a kind of spear. The Factor (Agent) of the Trading Post at San-
dusky, S. Tupper, wrote 7th June that the conduct of the British
traders in introducing spirituous liquors among the Aborigines in this
part of the country, and their determined hostility to the measures of
our Government, have long been subjects of complaint; and their
infamous stories have embarrassed our operations. Governor William
Hull wrote from Detroit June 16th that the influence of the Prophet
has been great, and his advice to the Aborigines injurious to them and
to the United States. We have the fullest evidence that his object has
been to form a combination of them in hostility to the United States,

SEDITIOUS ACTS. TREATY AT FORT WAYNE. 259

The powerful influence of the British has been exerted in a wav alluring
to the savage character. Complaints also came to the Secretary of
War that British agents were inciting the Aborigines along the western
shore of Lake Michigan and supplying them with guns and ammuni-
tion. General Harrison wrote from Vincennes 5th July that the
Shawanese Prophet and about forty followers arrived here about a week
ago. He denies most strenuously any participation in the late combi-
nation to attack our settlements. . . I must confess that my sus-
picions of his guilt have been rather strengthened than diminished at
every interview I have had with him since his arrival. He acknowl-
edged that he received an invitation to war against us from the British
last fall, and that he was apprised of the intention of the Sacs, Foxes,
etc., early in the spring, and was warmlv solicited to join in their
league. . . The result of all my enquiries on the subject is, that the
late combination was produced bv British intrigue and influence in
anticipation of war between them and the United States. It was, how-
ever, premature and ill-judged.

Governor Harrison, in council with Aborigines at Fort Wayne
30th September, 1809, succeeded, however, in further purchasing their
claims to two tracts of land in Indiana Territory west of the Greenville
Treaty Line and adjoining former purchases, the stipulated price being
permanent annuities of five hundred dollars to the Delawares, five
hundred dollars to the Miamis, two hundred and fiftv dollars to the
Eel River Miamis, and five hundred dollars to the Pottawotamis. The
Miamis, by separate article of same date, as additional compensation
were promised to receive at Fort Wayne the next spring domestic
animals to the amount of five hundred dollars, and the like number for
the two following years; and that an armorer should be also main-
tained at Fort Wayne for the use of the Aborigines as heretofore. In
treaty with the Kickapoos at Vincennes 9th December, 1H09, Governor
Harrison purchased claims to land northwest of the Wabash River
adjoining the Vincennes tract, the consideration being a permanent
annuity of four hundred dollars, and goods to the amount of eight
hundred dollars. By this last treatv the Miamis were to receive a
further annuity of two hundred dollars, and the Eel River tribes one
hundred dollars each.

Trading Agencies — Continued Conspiracy of Tecumseh.

The report to the Secretary of War 31st December, 1809, of
J. Mason Superintendent of the Trading House Establishments or
agencies styled Factories among the Aborigines, possesses features of
interest in this connection. There were at this date twelve establish-
ments of this character, eight of which were in the South and South-
west; and the net assets involved in them amounted to ?235,461.64.

260 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

The Trading House in this Basin was established at Fort Wayne in
the year 1802. Colonel John Johnston was the Factor (yVgent) in 1809
with salars' of $1000 per year and a subsistence allowance of $365.
William Oliver his clerk received a salary of $250 a year and $150 for
subsistence. Inventory of the assets of this Fort Wayne Trading
House October 5th showed: Merchandise, Peltries, etc., on hand
$5,020.75; Accounts Receivable per return of March $2,112.72; Build-
ings estimated at about one half of cost $500. Merchandise forwarded
by the Government to Fort Wayne 9th June and 2Hth July not included
in the above amounted to $4,686.87. A Trading Agency was also
established in Detroit in 1802, but it was discontinued in 1805. Those
in operation nearest this Basin in 1809, were: Sandusky established in
1806; Chicago 1805; and Michilimackinac 1808. The peltries taken in
exchange for merchandise at these Trading Houses were; Beaver,
first quality valued at two dollars each, and second tjuality one dollar
Dressed Deer Skins one dollar and fifty cents; Wolf Skins one dollar
Muskrat, Raccoon, Wildcat, and Fox Skins, twenty-five cents each
Otter two dollars and fifty cents; Bear first quality one dollar and fifty
cents, second quality one dollar. Tallow at twelve and a half cents a
pound, and Beeswax at twenty cents, also entered into the accounts.

Tecumseh and the Prophet continued active. The additional
councils and purchases of land at F"ort Wayne and Vincennes were
alleged as new incentives. General Harrison wrote to the Secretary
of War 14th June, 1810, that I have received information from various
sources which has produced entire conviction on my mind, that the
Prophet is organizing a most extensive combination against the United
States. Another letter dated the 26th June informs that Winemac
[a friendly Aborigine] assured me that the Prophet not long since pro-
posed to the young men to murder the principal chiefs of all the tribes ;
observing that their hands would never be untied until this was
effected ; that these were the men who had sold their lands, and who
would prevent them from opposing the encroachments of the white
people. An Iowa Aborigine informs me that two years ago this
summer an agent from the British arrived at the Prophet's town and,
in his presence delivered the message with which he was charged, the
substance of which was to urge the Prophet to unite as many tribes as
he could against the United States, but not to commence hostilities
until they gave the signal.'''

The 11th Juh' General Harrison again wrote that I have received

* The reader will bear in mind the strained relations between the L'nited States and Great Hrit-
ain whicli had existed for several years, and which fre'inently received fresh incentives from the im-
pressment of American seaman, the search of American ships, and unjust discriminations in trade. The
continued arrocance of the British in Canada, and their conduct toward the Aborigines on American
soil, show that their former ulterior desiKns on this western country were unabated.

CONTINUED PLOTTING OF BRITISH WITH SAVAGES. 261

a letter from Fort Wayne which confirms the information of the hostile
designs and combination of the Aborigines. The people in the neigh-
borhood where the horses were stolen are so much alarmed that thev
are collecting together for their defense. Again, July iHth: From the
lowas I learn that the Sacs and Foxes have actually received the
tomahawk [declared for war] and are ready to strike whenever the
Prophet gives the signal. A considerable number of Sacs went some
time since to see the British superintendent and, on the first instant,
fifty more passed Chicago for the same destination. A Miami chief
who has just returned from his annual visit to Maiden, after having
received the accustomed donation of goods was thus addressed by the
British agent: ' My son keep your eyes fixed on me; my tomahawk is
now up: be you ready, but do not strike until I give the signal.'
General Clark wrote from St. Louis July 20th that a few weeks ago the
post-rider on his way from Vincennes to this place was killed, and the
mail lost; since that time we have had no communication with
Vincennes. A part of the Sacs and the greatest part of the Kickapoos
who reside east of the Mississippi have been absent some time on a
visit to the Aborigine Prophet. One hundred and fifty Sacs are on a
visit to the British agent by invitation, and a smaller party on a visit
to the island of St. Joseph in Lake Huron. On July "ioth General
Harrison again wrote that there can be no doubt of the designs of the
Prophet and the British agent of Aborigine affairs [Alexander M'Kee?]
to do us injury. This agent is a refugee from the neighborhood of

[Pittsburg] and his implacable hatred of his native country

prompted him to take part with the Aborigines in the battle between
them and General Wayne's army. He has, ever since his appointment
to the principal agency used his utmost endeavors to excite hostilities,
and the lavish manner in which he is allowed to scatter presents
amongst them, shews that his government participates in his enmity
and authorizes his measures. Governor Hull wrote from Detroit Juh'
■27th that large bodies of Aborigines from the westward and southward
continue to visit the British post at Amherstburg [Maiden] and are
supplied with provisions, arms, ammunition, etc. Much more atten-
tion is paid to them than usual. On August 7th Captain John Johns-
ton, agent of the Fort Wayne Trading Post, wrote that since writing
\-ou on the 25th ultimo, about one hundred Sawkevs [Sacs] have re-
turned from the British agent who supplied them liberally with every-
thing they stood in want of. The party received forty-seven rifles and
a number of fusils [flintlock muskets] with plenty of powder and lead.
This is sending firebrands into the Mississijipi country inasmuch as it
will draw numbers of our Aborigines to the British side in the hope of
being treated with the same liberality. On the 1st August General

262 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

Harrison reported that a number of the inhabitants of the northern
frontier of the Je'ffersonville district had been driven away by the Abo-
rigines and much of their property destroyed. Many other letters were
written to the Secretary of War from the widely separated posts evi-
dencing the continued preparations of the Aborigines for war under
the incitements of the British. But few other extracts will be here
given: February 6, 1811, Captain John Johnston again wrote from
Fort Wavne that has been at this place. The information de-
rived from him is the same I have been in possession of for several
years, to wit: the intrigues of the British agents and partisans in
creating an influence hostile to our people and Government, within our
territory. I do not know whether a garrison [fort] is to be erected on
the Wabash or not; but every consideration of sound policy urges the
earlv establishment of a post somewhere contiguous to the Prophet's
residence. Hostilities were continued to the westward, some murders
and captivities being reported; and some blockhouses were built along
the frontier for the refuge and defense of the settlers.

Governor Harrison had not remained idle. He had instituted
preparations for defense and, also, for advance. By appointment he
was visited by the chief leader of the hostile Aborigines, his written
report of the same on 6th August, 1811, being in part as follows: The
Shawanee Chief Tecumseh has made a visit to this place with about
three hundred Aborigines, though he promised to bring but a few
attendants; his intentions hostile, though he found us prepared for him.
Tecumseh did not set out till yesterday ; he then descended the Wabash
attended by twenty men on his way to the southward. After having
visited the Creeks and Choctaws he is to visit the Osages, and return
by the Missouri. The spies say his object in coming with so many
was to demand a retrocession of the late purchase [of Aborigine claims
to land]. At the moment he was promising to bring but a few men
with him he was sending in every direction to collect his people. That
he meditated a blow at this time was believed by almost all the neutral
Aborigines.*

It appears, wrote J. Shaw Agent at Fort Wayne the 18th August,
that the fruit of the Shawanee Prophet and his band, is making its
appearance i-n more genuine colors than heretofore. I have lately had
opportunities of seeing" many of the Aborigines of this Agencv from
different quarters, and by what I have been able to learn from them,
particularly the Pottawotamis, I am induced to believe the news circu-
lating in the papers respecting the depredations committed in the

* In Drake's Life of Tecumseh there is description of a dramatic scene at this council, in which
Teciunseh's men at a given sit;na) sprang to arms and were instantly faced by a strong guard of Ameri-
can troops who had been held in the background for any emergency.

FURTHER COLLUSION OF BRITISH WITH SAVAGES. 263

Illinois Territory by the Aborigines, is mostly correct, and is thought
by them to have proceeded from Mar Poe [or Marpack a Pottawotami
chief] and the influence of the Shawanee Prophet. Several of the
tribes have sent to me for advice. Governor Harrison wrote Septem-
ber 17, 1811, from Vincennes to the Secretary of War as follows:

states that almost every Aborigine from the countrv

above this had been or was then gone to Maiden on a visit to the
British agent. We shall probably gain our destined point at the
moment of their return. If then the British agents are reall\' endeav-
oring to instigate the Aborigines to make war upon us, we shall be in
their neighborhood at the very moment when the impressions which
have been made against us are most active in the minds of the savages.

succeeded in getting the chiefs together at Fort Wayne,

though he found them all preparing to go to Maiden. The result of
the council discovered that the whole tribes ( including the Weas and
Eel Rivers, for they are all Miamis ) were about equally divided in

favor of the Prophet and the United States. reports

that all the Aborigines of the Wabash have been or now are on a visit
to the British agent at Maiden ; he has never known more than one-
fourth as many goods given to the Aborigines as they are now distrib-
uting. He examined the share of one (not a chief) and found that he
had received an elegant rifle, twenty-five pounds of powder, fiftv
pounds of lead, three blankets, three strouds of cloth, ten shirts, and
several other articles. He says every Aborigine is furnished with a
gun (either rifle or fusil) and an abundance of ammunition. A trader
of this country was lately in the King's store at Maiden, and was told
that the quantity of goods for the .\borigine department which had been
sent out this year, exceeded that of common years by i:/20,000 sterling.
It is impossible to ascribe this profusion to any other motive than that
of instigating the Aborigines to take up the tomahawk; it cannot be to
secure their trade for all the peltries collected on the waters of the
Wabash in one year if sold on the London market would not pay the
freight of the goods which have been given to the Aborigines.' .
Tecumseh and the Prophet advocated discontinuance of trade with
Americans. Action on this advice led to clandestine trading, to more
fraudulent practices, and to some violence. But the principal result
was observed as an additional incentive to turn the savages to the
British whose lavish gifts had already operated to draw the most of
them to Maiden.

The report of Captain John Johnston Factor [Agent] of the United
States Aborigine Factory [trading agency] at Fort Wayne the 30th
September, 1811, to J. Mason Superintendent of Trade with the Abo-
rigines, shows the Inventory of Merchandise on hand 30th December,

264 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

1807, as $13,046.84; Accounts of Aborigines $-2,459.29; Amount of
Merchandise received from 1st January, 1808, $15,226.91; Expenses
since 1st January, 1808, $6,048.62. To tlie credit side of the report
there is the Inventory of Merchandise on hand 30th September, 1811,
$10,281.66; Furs, Peltries, etc., principally hatters' furs of good sale
[beaver skins] $689.62; Cash in hand $76.37/1': Accounts against
Aborigines $2,747.56 and Buildings $400. The two last items were
included as loss. There had been received during these years for Furs
and Peltries sold $27,547.07; the value of Furs and Peltries on the way
to market $3,053.12: Goods returned to the Government $1,752.34;
New York Auctioneer paid State Duty which was refunded $195.42;
Salary transferred $572.30 all of which shows a profit of $10,502.77 for
the three years and ten months.

There were at this time ten Trading Agencies in operation with
a total capital of $290,000. They were situate as follows: Fort
Hawkins, Georgia; Chickasaw Bluffs, Mississippi Territory: Fort
Stephenson, Mobile River Mississippi Territory; Fort Osage, by
Missouri River: Fort Madison, bv upper Mississippi River Louisiana
Territory : Natchitoches, by Red River Orleans Territory : Fort
Waj'ne by the Miami of the Lakes [Maumee River] ; Chicago, San-
dusky, and Michilimackinac. Several of these agencies were conducted
at a loss to the Government, viz: Sandusky $3,366.50; Fort Stephen-
son $10,352.54; Natchitoches $11,718.73 and Fort Hawkins $1,023.
The nominal profit at the others was: Chicago $3,454.24; Michili-
mackinac $1,945.71 ; Fort Wayne $10,502.77 ; Fort Osage over two
hundred dollars less than Fort Wayne, and Fort Madison $10,026.39.
The Agencies showing gain received more of hatters' furs, the greatlv
coveted beaver, which were constant!)' in greater demand than the sup-
ply. The Agencies showing loss were at a disadvantage from carriage
■charges and the -barter, which was mostly for deer skins formerly
marketed in Europe, and latterly much injured by vermin from the
delay in sale on account of the British obstruction.

Meetings of citizens along the frontier were held during the sum-
mer of 1811 and memorials stating the depredations and murders b\-
the Aborigines, accompanied by petitions for protection, were sent to
President James Madison. Governor Harrison was given additional
regular troops and militia and, the second week in October, iHll, they
advanced up the Wabash towards the Prophet's town on the Tippe-
canoe to stop his influence for further murderous raids. Peace mes-
sengers were sent forward, but they were violently treated and the
night of the 10th a sentinel of the American army was severely- wounded
by the Prophet's warriors. Governor Harrison commanded in person. •
The army advanced cautiously and, the 6th November, meeting some

BATTLE OF TIPPEGA-NOE. THE DOUBLE FRONTIER. 265

of the Prophet's messengers near his town an aj^'reement was made for
a council the next morniny;. But, true to the treacherous nature of the
savages, they made a stealthy attack in the dark about a quarter past
four o'clock in the morninjj when, in the words of Governor Harrison's
report, they manifested a ferocity uncommon to them. To their
savage fury our troops, nineteen-twentieths of whom had not before
been in battle, opposed that cool and deliberate valor which is charac-
teristic of the Christian soldier.' The savages retreated. The Ameri-
cans in this Battle of Tippecanoe numbered a few over seven hundred ;
and the number of savages was estimated as nearly the same. The
American loss was sixty-two killed and one hundred and twentv-six
wounded. The loss of the savages was estimated at a greater number.

The condition of the frontier settlements was not much improved
by this defeat of the Shawnee Prophet's army. Depredations and
murders continued in the west, and grave apprehensions pervaded the
whole country. Among the i)etitioners to the President and Congress
for protection were some of the prominent citizens of the Territorv of
Michigan living at Detroit, who gave statistics from which the follow-
ing are extracted, viz: The population of the Territory on the lUth
December, IHll, was given as four thousand seven hundred and sixty-
two, about four-fifths of whom were French, the remainder being
largely Americans, with a few British and some servants of African
blood. "^ They were distributed in nine principal settlements each
having a double frontier ' — the British on one side, the savages on
the other. The first three of these settlements were named as 1, the
mouth of the Maumee River; "2, the River Raisin; 3, the River Huron.
The population of these three settlements was given as one thousand
three hundred and forty (not including the savages) the males over
sixteen years of age being three hundred and ninety-one. There were
two forts, one at Detroit with a garrison of ninet\'-four soldiers, and
the other at Michilimackinac with seventy-nine soldiers. Additional
forts were pt-titioned for, with stronger garrisons, and cavalrv.

The following extracts of letters show the continued hostilitv of
the savages and the influence of the British against the Americans :
William Wells wrote from Fort Wayne 10th February, 1812, that at
the request of Little Turtle I enclose you his speech to Governor
Harrison of the 25th ultimo. On the 12th ult. two British emissaries
passed through this neighborhood on their way to see the Prophet.
On the 21st ultimo they called at my house on their return to Maiden;
they were two Munsey Aborigines. It appears that their business was
to invite all the Aborigines to meet at Maiden very early in the spring.

" African slaves were brought info this Basin by the Aborigines, and taken to Detroit from early
date. They were bought by the army ofiicers and merchants and retained as servants for many years.

266 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

What took place between them and the Prophet, I have not yet learnt.
The Pottawotamy chief Marpack has been in the neighborhood of
Maiden since August last; he now is near the white settlement on the
River Raisin in Michigan Territory and visits Maiden every eight or
ten days. He has about one hundred and twenty of the best warriors
in this country with him, stationed in such a manner as to be unob-
served by the white settlers; that is to say, eight or ten in one place,
fifteen or twenty in another, and so on; but within such distance of
each other as to enable him to collect them all in twenty-four hours.
I know this chief is hostile-inclined towards the United States, and
have no hesitation in saying that he is kept at that place by the British
agents at Maiden ; and in case the United States have war with that
Power, this chief will attack our settlements immediately. I believe
many of the warriors that fought Governor Harrison have, and are now
about to join him.' The speech of Little Turtle referred to above
acknowledges receipt of the letters of Governor Harrison, and states
that their contents had been communicated to the Miami tribes, includ-
ing those of Eel River. He stated that none of these tribes was in the
Battle of Tippecanoe. He expressed regret that the Aborigines had
become hostile, and promised his influence to prevent further like
action. William Wells wrote again 1st March, from Fort Wayne as
follows : In my letter of the lOth ultimo I informed you that the
Aborigine chief Tecumseh had arrived on the Wabash. I have now to
state to you that it appears he has determined to raise all the Al^origi-
nes he can, immediately, with intention no doubt to attack our front-
iers. He has sent runners to raise the Aliorigines on the Illinois and
the upper Mississippi; and I am told has gone himself to hurry on the
aid he was promised by the Cherokees and Creeks. The Prophet's
orator, who is considered the third man in this hostile band, passed
within twelve miles of this place on the 23rd ultimo with eight Shawa-
nese, eight Winnebagoes and seven Kickapoos, in all twenty-four, on
their way as they say to Sandusky, where the\- expected to receive a
quantit\- of powder and lead from their father the British.

Had the petitions of the settlers for more forts and stronger garri-
sons been granted, and such bands as above mentioned been arrested and
imprisoned, the influence of the British could have been greatly
reduced and many American lives saved that were lost in later conflicts
when the British and their savage allies were again fully organized.
Governor Howard of Missouri Territory wrote from St. Louis March
19, 1812, detailing depredations and ' most barbarous murders ' by
savages ; and the letters of like import from Captam Nathan Heald
were frequent from Chicago, including the killing and eating of two
Americans by Winnebagoes at the lead mines near the Mississippi.

MURDEROUS RAIDINGS AND CANNIBALISM. 267

Captain J. Rhea of the 13th Regiment of Infantry, stationed at Fort
Wavne, wrote March 14th, you say if we have a British war we shall
have an Aborigine war. From the best information I can get, I have
everv reason to believe we shall have an Aborigine war this spring
whether we have a British war or not. I am told the Aborigines are
making every preparation. There is certainly a very deep plan going
on among the Aborigines. Captain John Whistler, in 'command of
Fort Lernoult at Detroit, wrote 2nd April, that Lieutenant Eastman
arrived here on the evening of the ■29th ultimo from Cincinnati. About
six miles on this side of the foot of the Miami [Maumee] rapids he met
twenty-four Aborigines who were in the action against Governor Har-
rison [Battle of Tippecanoe]. They were on their return from Maiden,
and had been there for a length of time this winter and had, when Mr.
Eastman met them, each a new stand of arms, some of them were
rifles others smooth bore; also a quantit\- of ammunitiijn. One of
these Aborigines has shown in this town several wounds he had received
in the action. The 15th .\pril Captain Nathan Heald, in command of
Fort Dearborn at Chicago, wrote that the Aborigines had commenced
hostilities in that vicinity by murdering two men about three miles
from the fort. Other murders were reported from different parts of
the west. The first of May Captain John Johnston reported from
Piqua, Ohio, that three Americans had been killed at Defiance and two
at Sandusky by the savages. A general uprising of the savages was
now apparent to the westward, and the frontier settlers there were
generally gathered in hastily constructed and uncomfortable block-
houses.

Benjamin F. Stickney, who had recently succeeded John Johnston
as Aborigine agent at Fort Wayne, wrote on May 25th that My last was
on the 15th instant. I told you then of the measures I had taken to
make peace with the relatives of the two Aborigines who were killed at
Greenville. Before receiving this you will undoubtedly have received
more correct information of the circumstances than I could give \'ou.
The women and child who were taken prisoners were sent to me by
Mr. Johnson with three or four horses and as much of the other
property that was taken as he could obtain, under the care and pro-
tection of two Shawanee chiefs and ten warriors. The\- arrived four
days ago when there was a general collection of Aborigines forming to
inform me what had been doing at a grand council they had been hold-
ing on the Wabash where twelve tribes were represented, consisting of
the Wyandots, Chippewas, Ottawas, Pottawotamies, Delawares,
Miamis, Eel River Miamis, Weas, Piankeshaws, Shawanese, Kicka-
poos, and Winnebagoes. The council here continued two days and
amounted to but verv little more than that they had united to secure

268 THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.

and maintain peace. I cannot explain the whole better than by enclos-
ing you a copy of my letter to Governor Hull [at Detroit] viz : . . .
' The time appears to have arrived when it is necessary, if possible, to
cut off all communication between the Aborigines within the territory
of the United States and Canada.' .

This was a very tardy suggestion of a policy the wisdom of the
enforcement of which should have seemed a necessity years before.
Many Aborigines in this Basin, recipients of United States annuities
and favors and more immediately under control of United States agents,
had been loath to join Tecumseh and the Prophet; but band after
band, including several hundred Ottawas of the lower Maumee, with
the other tribes before named, had been enticed to remove to Tippe-
canoe, or to near Maiden, and to ally themselves with the hostiles.

CHAPTER X.

First Year of the War of 1812.

Notwithstanding the many reports to the Secretary of War through
several years of depredations and murders bv the Aborigines, and the
accumulated evidence of the incitements by British traders, agents and
officers, it was not until the 13th June, 181"2, that a committee of
Congress reported it proved that the British had been working among
these Aborigines with the intention of securing them as allies against
the United States; that the British had incited them to hostilities and
presented them with weapons of warfare which had already been used
against the Americans ; and that it was the duty of the President of the
United States to use the necessary means to protect the frontiers from
the attacks with which they